To prevent Lamar Jackson from replicating the Ravens’ 2019 victory over the 49ers, the 49ers (11-3) must rely on their defence.
This is the best gift of the regular season, if the NFL is the gift that never ends.
At Levi’s Stadium on “Monday Night Football,” the NFC-leading 49ers (11-3) take on the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens (11-3) in the ultimate Christmas celebration.
“It’s a hyped-up matchup. It’s Christmas. Everyone will be watching,” 49ers left tackle Trent Williams said. “In the football world, we’ve had some heavyweight matchups. Not just us, but every team. It’s been really good for the sport.”
The two best teams in the conference have only faced up this late in the regular season once before in NFL history, and that was in 2005 when Super Bowl-bound Seattle defeated Indianapolis.
The 49ers had only played on Christmas Eve once previously, at Candlestick Park thirty years ago in a 10-7 loss to the Houston Oilers. Mike Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Niners. As the 49ers’ coach for the eighth season, his son Kyle appears to be leading his strongest club to date.
All of which suggests that this game could be a prelude to the Super Bowl.
“The Super Bowl is in February. We’re in December right now,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson told Baltimore reporters. “We have to focus on Monday night. I’m not worried about what people are saying.”
When the playoffs begin in a month, 49ers supporters will know that more is at risk at Levi’s Stadium—either in the divisional round or, horrifyingly, in the wild-card round.
The 49ers are in a good position to win the NFC’s top seed and home-field advantage. They only need to win two of their last three games to do this, with the Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Rams and the game at Washington on December 31 carrying more tiebreaker weight.
The 49ers may secure the top spot with a victory over the Ravens if the Dallas Cowboys (10-4) and the Detroit Lions (10-4) lose on Sunday in their respective road games against Minnesota and Miami, and if the Philadelphia Eagles (10-4) lose on Monday afternoon against the New York Giants at home.
The following are the keys to ensuring that triumph:
1. Keep an eye on Lamar
As the Ravens’ dual-threat quarterback for the past five seasons, Lamar Jackson leads the team in rushes for the fifth time. Remember that when everyone gets enamored with the Ravens’ passing attack, which has improved since offensive coordinator Todd Monken replaced former 49ers play caller Greg Roman this season.
In addition to running for 1,206 yards and completing a career-high 66.3 percent of his passes, Jackson has rushed for 741 yards and five touchdowns this year, which is 22 yards less than his MVP season of 2019.
“He’s trying to sit in there a little more and go through his reads,” Nick Bosa said of Jackson’s pocket presence. “(They’re) not quite as run-heavy but they’re the no. 1 rushing team in the league, so it’s obviously something we’re going to have to deal with.”
Jackson causes havoc with his special ability to run the ball, scramble out of trouble, and throw on the run. In response, the 49ers ought to extend their typical four-man front, which might entail conducting more blitzes than normal or designating a linebacker (such as Fred Warner or Dre Greenlaw) to pursue Jackson. Steve Wilks, the defensive coordinator, places a strong emphasis on discipline (see: do your job) at all levels.
Three weeks prior, the 49ers employed a patient approach to clog the pocket in order to defeat Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. Kyler Murray of Arizona was given three rushes of at least 12 yards by the 49ers last Sunday. Jackson needs to be wrapped up this game in order to avoid breaking tackles. Force a fumble, since he has lost four of the past eleven games.
2. THE HOUR OF PURDY READING
The Ravens have 50 sacks, which is an NFL record. Their linebackers and defensive backs will attack in addition to their defensive front, which applies the heat. The hardest challenge for Brock Purdy is figuring out who is approaching him, but center Jake Brendel can help with that.
“It’s really hard for a team to get a bead on who’s coming and who’s not,” Williams said. “They do a good job of keeping your eligible (receivers) in (to block). They do what we call a simulated pressure, where it seems they’re sending a lot of guys (to pass rush), but they’re only sending four and still dropping seven.”
For example, tight end George Kittle could have to block blocks in-line rather than venture out into space against safety Kyle Hamilton’s coverage. That will be an interesting battle to watch.
“I like our game plan,” tight end George Kittle volunteered. “Coach Shanahan did a really good job in giving Brock options and mixing in everything from extra protection to winning hot routes.”
The 49ers need to concentrate on defensive lineman Justin Madubuike (11 sacks) and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (50 ½ sacks in a 10-year career), in addition to blitzing interlopers. The NFL’s longest active streak and a team record have been reached by the Ravens, who have recorded sacks in 35 straight games.
3. MORE MAGIC FROM McCAFFREY
It’s possible that you have heard Purdy and Jackson mentioned a million times this week as the clear favorites to win the NFL MVP award. Unless Christian McCaffrey, the offensive catalyst and running back, puts on a show that justifies his MVP endorsements from Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the winner of this game is likely to take home the trophy.
“Honestly I don’t worry about that stuff,” McCaffrey said. “Everybody on this team is worried about just playing this game.”
McCaffrey is on the verge of winning both the 49ers’ and NFL’s first rushing crown since Joe “The Jet” Perry in 1954. With 1,292 yards, McCaffrey has more yardage than both James Cook of the Bills and Raheem Mostert of the Dolphins, as well as 235 more than Rams player Kyren Williams (who played on Thursday night). McCaffrey is only three touchdowns short of Jerry Rice’s team record with 13 rushing touchdowns and 7 catches.
Following a knee brace during the 49ers’ game last week, McCaffrey was not listed on the team’s injury report this week. With 92.1 yards allowed per game, their defense is the third-best rushing defense in the NFL. But over the last five games, the Ravens have been generous, allowing 4.8 yards per rush, which would be second-worst in the NFL for the whole season.
Coach Kyle Shanahan stated that linebackers Patrick Queen (112 tackles, 3 ½ sacks) and Roquan Smith (143 tackles, 1 ½ sacks) “make the defense go” and are “most comparable” to the 49ers’ Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw duo.
4. AN IMPROVED DEFENSE RUN
For the first time in the NFL, the Ravens have run for more than 100 yards in 30 straight games. The 49ers’ previous game saw 100 tackles missed. Okay, not quite, but the Cardinals did manage to run for 234 yards on 30 carries, which ought to encourage the top-ranked Ravens running unit to do something similar.
Gus Edwards is physically comparable to James Conner of the Cardinals, standing 6 feet 1 inch and weighing 238 pounds. With Melvin Gordon III and Justic Hill as alternatives, Edwards has 663 yards and 11 rushing scores. The Ravens will likely rely more on Edwards after losing quick rookie Keaton Mitchell to a knee injury in the previous game.
Without defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead, the 49ers looked weak up the middle in their previous game; Hargrave is doubtful to play on Monday, and Armstead is probably out for the third straight game. For the 49ers’ linebackers and safeties to have a clear path to the ball carrier, Javon Kinlaw and Kevin Givens need to improve their gap control and anchoring. Center Tyler Linderbaum, guard Kevin Zeitler, and fullback Patrick Ricard are paving the way for the Ravens.