The Baltimore Ravens are set to visit the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Night in a matchup between the two teams with the best records in the NFL.
This late-December matchup could very well be a preview of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. Both teams sit at 11-3 on the season.
The homestanding 49ers have won six consecutive games and are led by odds-on NFL MVP favorite Brock Purdy. As for the Ravens, former league MVP Lamar Jackson would like to make a statement on national television to not only show he’s a top candidate, but also that his Ravens stand above San Francisco in the race to become the NFL’s best team.
We’ve seen some amazing games between top-end title contenders in 2023. But this one might actually stand above the rest. Below, we provide you with four bold predictions for what promises to be an epic Christmas Night matchup.
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Baltimore Ravens defense holds Brock Purdy to under 200 yards
Purdy ranks second behind Tua Tagovailoa in passing yards (3,795) this season. He’s averaging nearly 300 during the 49ers’ six-game winning streak. The sophomore is also averaging nearly 320 passing yards at home on the season.
So, why do we have him going for less than 200 Christmas night? It’a pretty simple. We’re expecting Shanahan attempting to control the time of possession early by getting the run game going with fellow NFL MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey. The game’s best back is averaging 22 touches during San Francisco’s winning streak. Look for that number to be closer to 30 come Monday Night Football.
As for the Ravens, they boast the NFL’s seventh-best pass defense. Opposing quarterbacks have also thrown 14 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions against this unit. Sure, Purdy has not been your typical quarterback. But why play into the opponent’s strength? Shanahan knows this.
Related: Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson standing among NFL starting QBs
Lamar Jackson burns San Francisco 49ers defense for 100 on the ground
Despite his overall brilliance on the ground, Jackson has gone for over 100 yards just once this season. It came back in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts. However, he has also gone for north of 60 yards a total of five times. Jackson is always a threat to escape the pocket and do things with his feet.
The 49ers’ defense is interesting in that this unit ranks third in the league against the run. It has also had some flops. That included yielding a total of 234 rushing yards to the lowly Arizona Cardinals last week. Kyler Murray accounted for 49 of those.
For some reason, San Francisco’s defense tends to struggle more with mobile quarterbacks (sans Jalen Hurts in Week 13). It could be about the push from edge guys like Nick Bosa and Chase Young (more on them later) from a pass-rush perspective. But we’ve seen it play out recently.
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Christian McCaffrey tears through Baltimore Ravens defense
Surprisingly, Baltimore’s defense is giving up north of 100 rushing yards per game on the season. That includes two recent outings in which the Cleveland Browns (178 yards) and Cincinnati Bengals (136 yards) burnt this unit on the ground. Opposing running backs are also catching an absurd 84% of their targets against this unit.
Enter into the equation the NFL’s best running back. McCaffrey has tallied north of 100 total yards in 11 of his 14 outings this season. He has been an absolute beast from an all-around perspective. It’s insane to look at the numbers.
| Attempts | Yards | AVG | Rec | Yards | Total Yards | Yards/Touch | TD |
| 244 | 1,292 | 5.3 | 57 | 509 | 1,801 | 6.0 | 20 |
McCaffrey has gone up against four top-10 run defenses this season. He’s averaged well north of 100 total yards in those games. Look for CMC to top 150 in this one against Baltimore.
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Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers combine for 10 sacks
The trenches are interesting to look at in this epic clash. Baltimore’s defense leads the NFL with 50 sacks on the season. This unit is taking on a 49ers offensive line that has yielded just 11 sacks during their current six-game winning streak.
On the other side, San Francisco defense has registered 43 sacks on the campaign. The mobile Jackson has been taken down just 34 times in 14 games. So, 10 combined sacks? Yeah. Look at these numbers:
| Player | Team | Sacks | TFL | QB hits | Pressures |
| Justin Madubuike | Ravens | 12 | 11 | 30 | 31 |
| Jadeveon Clowney | Ravens | 7.5 | 7 | 17 | 21 |
| Kyle Van Noy | Ravens | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Odafe Oweh | Ravens | 4 | 3 | 11 | 14 |
| Nick Bosa | 49ers | 10.5 | 11 | 33 | 42 |
| Chase Young | 49ers | 7 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
| Javon Hargrave | 49ers | 6 | 7 | 13 | 13 |
| Arik Armstead | 49ers | 5 | 4 | 13 | 16 |
Pressure comes from everywhere on these defenses. Interior of the defensive line. Out on the edge. From the linebackers. From the secondary. It doesn’t matter. Both Jackson and Purdy will be harassed throughout Monday night’s game.
- Final prediction: San Francisco 49ers 27, Baltimore Ravens 24