Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens take on Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers at in what will be a clash of the titans on Sunday.
The mouth-watering match sees two young quarterbacks go head-to-head for the very first time. Jackson, who is one of the front runners for MVP, and Garoppolo will face off and look to put their team one step closer to the Playoffs.
San Francisco can secure their place in the post-season with a win and the Los Angeles Rams fail to beat the Arizona Cardinals. The Ravens are currently the No 2 seed in the AFC and are three games ahead of the Cleveland Browns in their division.
Ravens aiming to make statement against 49ers
The Ravens have won seven-straight games going into Sunday’s meeting with the 49ers. The 45-6 victory over the Rams was one of the most dominant displays of the season. One of the keys to their success, besides from the brilliant Jackson, is their offensive line.
They’ve managed to protect their quarterback well and allow the run game to get going with ease this season. Baltimore nullified the Aaron Donald threat on Monday Night Football, but San Francisco’s pass-rushers are a different test altogether.
Cornerback Marcus Peters has completely rejuvenated the Ravens defense. The 26-year-old has three interceptions, including one against his former team on Monday, and two touchdowns since his arrival from the Rams.
Nevertheless, Baltimore have the No 1-ranked offense in the NFL and they will need to establish the ground game through Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
Across the last three games, the Ravens have averaged 45 points per game. The game in Los Angeles was supposed to be another test, but the offense managed to rack up six touchdowns, five of which were thrown by Jackson, and 493 total yards in the game.
San Francisco a different test altogether for Ravens
The best defense in the NFL roll into Baltimore looking to extend their winning run to four games. San Francisco made a statement of their own in Week 12 after an emphatic 37-8 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
The 49ers are sitting top of their division, with the Seahawks just one game behind. Kyle Shanahan’s men have one of the most prolific defensive fronts in the game, who will be looking to get to Jackson on Sunday.
Rookie Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas are one of the main reasons the Niners are the No 1-ranked defense. However, Ford, who has 6.5 sacks on the season, will miss the game due to injury.
The team have only allowed 248-yards per game this season, while their offense is currently second in rushing yards with 1,602 in 2019. The only team to have more is the team they go up against this weekend.
Tight-end George Kittle returned from injury with a bang last weekend after 129 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Packers. Whatever the result on Sunday, we may well see this match-up again in February.