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Baltimore Ravens defense vs. San Francisco 49ers offense a forgotten story-line

By Richard Bradshaw

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams is sacked by Jimmy Smith #22 of the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Jared Goff #16 of the Los Angeles Rams is sacked by Jimmy Smith #22 of the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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We’re looking forward to the Baltimore Ravens offense vs. the San Francisco 49ers defense, but the Ravens defense vs. the 49ers offense is also intriguing.

By now you might’ve heard that the Baltimore Ravens are taking on the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday. If you have, then you also know that Baltimore’s offense is going up against a very good San Francisco 49ers defense.

But did you know that the Ravens defense will get to take on a very good 49ers offense? Probably not, considering all the hype surrounding the former of the two points.

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It’s a bummer, as Baltimore’s defense is getting hot and playing as good as any unit in the league. Matt Judon has been the front seven’s best player and has seven sacks on the season (career-high is eight). The secondary is finally living up to its billing thanks to the addition of Marcus Peters. Peters is playing at an All-Pro level, while his teammates Marlon Humphrey and Earl Thomas play at a high-level as well.

Baltimore’s defense is currently the third-best unit vs. the run, giving up 87.7 YPG. On the flip-side, San Francisco’s rushing attack is second best in the league, only behind the Ravens with an average of 145.6 YPG. Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida both rank in the top 30 in individual rushing yards, while both Breida and Raheem Mostert average over 5.0 YPC.

The team’s quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo is playing well this season, completing 68.8% of his passes with 21 total touchdowns. Receivers Emmanual Sanders and Deebo Samuel have looked more than capable of leading a good passing game, while tight end George Kittle is playing like the league’s best tight end.

With all of this in mind, it’s a shame that we aren’t talking more about the NFL’s sixth-best scoring offense in the San Francisco 49ers vs. the fifth-best scoring defense in the Baltimore Ravens. Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, and Jimmy Smith matched up with Deebo Samuel, Emmanuel Sanders, and George Kittle is must-watch television, as is Matt Judon vs. Mike McGlinchey. I can’t wait to see all these match-ups.

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Personally, I’m stoked for the Baltimore Ravens offense vs. the San Francisco 49ers defense, but I can’t believe we aren’t talking about Baltimore’s defense vs. San Francisco’s offense. This game as a whole looks to be a great one (one worthy of a prime-time spot…), but we need to appreciate both sides of the football a little more than we are. Defense wins championships, and the Ravens have themselves a great opportunity to establish themselves as well rounded juggernauts.

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