BALTIMORE (11-3) at SAN FRANCISCO (11-3)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ABC
OPENING LINE: 49ers by 5 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Ravens 9-5, 49ers 8-5-1.
SERIES RECORD: Ravens lead 5-2.
LAST MEETING: Ravens beat 49ers 20-17 on Dec. 1, 2019, in Baltimore.
LAST WEEK: Ravens beat Jaguars 23-7; 49ers beat Cardinals 45-29.
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (1), PASS (20), SCORING (4)
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (10), PASS (7), SCORING (1)
49ERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (3), PASS (2), SCORING (3)
49ERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (3), PASS (15), SCORING (2)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Ravens plus-5; 49ers plus-13.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Lamar Jackson has thrown for 3,105 yards this season, 22 shy of his career high set in his MVP season of 2019. He’s already set a career high with 266 completions and equaled one with 401 pass attempts. His completion rate of 66.3 percent is also a career best.
49ERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Brock Purdy has taken his game to another level during San Francisco’s six-game winning streak, with a 138.1 passer rating, 17 TDs, two INTs and 11.0 yards per attempt. Purdy’s six games this season with a passer rating of at least 130 are tied for the most ever in a season.
KEY MATCHUP: Ravens running game vs. 49ers defense. San Francisco has been stout for much of the season against the run, but got gashed last week against Arizona. The Niners allowed 234 yards rushing — their most in a game in more than six seasons — against the Cardinals and will have to be much better this week against Lamar Jackson and Co.
KEY INJURIES: The Ravens lost promising RB Keaton Mitchell to a season-ending knee injury last weekend. … CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (concussion) and CB Arthur Maulet (knee) are out for Baltimore. … The Niners will be without DT Arik Armstead (foot, knee), WR Jauan Jennings (concussion), Oren Burks (knee), TE Ross Dwelley (ankle) and DT Kalia Davis (high ankle sprain). … DT Javon Hargrave (hamstring) and RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) are questionable.
SERIES NOTES: The Ravens won the only meeting of the series since Kyle Shanahan took over as coach in San Francisco in 2017 with a 20-17 victory in 2019. … The most famous meeting between the teams came in the Super Bowl following the 2012 season with Baltimore winning 34-31.
STATS AND STUFF: This is tied for the latest in the season that teams with sole possession of the best record in each conference played. In 2005, the Seahawks (12-2) beat the Colts (13-1) 28-13 in Week 16. … Ravens DT Justin Madubuike has tied an NFL record with at least a half-sack in 11 consecutive games. … Baltimore has clinched its 11th playoff berth in coach John Harbaugh’s 16 years at the helm. Only New England (12) has more playoff berths in that span. … The Ravens have held an opponent to one touchdown or fewer in nine games this season. No other team has done it more than six times. … Baltimore has rushed for at least 100 yards in 30 straight games. No other team has an active streak longer than seven. … The Ravens have at least one sack in 35 games in a row, also the league’s longest active streak. … Jackson is 19-1 in games started against the NFC in his career. … San Francisco is the first team to win six straight games by more than 10 points in the same season since New Orleans did it in 2009. …The Niners have clinched a second straight NFC West title and can earn the top seed in the playoffs with wins in two of the final three games. … San Francisco has won 17 straight regular-season games played after Nov. 1, tied for the longest streak ever. … The 49ers average 6.79 yards per play, the third-best mark for a team in the Super Bowl era. … San Francisco is tied for the NFL lead for the fewest giveaways (12) and the most takeaways (25). The most recent team to finish first in both categories in the same season was San Francisco in 2011. … The Niners lead the NFL with 66 points scored on the opening drive. … San Francisco has outscored the opposition by 191 points, tied for the fourth-best mark through 14 games since 2000. … The Niners are the first team ever to have two players with at least five TD catches and five TD runs in the same season with Christian McCaffrey (13 runs, seven catches) and Deebo Samuel (five runs, six catches). … McCaffrey leads the NFL with 1,801 yards from scrimmage and is tied for the NFL lead with 20 TDs. His seven straight games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage are tied with Roger Craig (1988) for the most in a season in team history. … Niners K Jake Moody has made all 53 extra points this season, the most makes without a miss of any kicker.
FANTASY TIP: Samuel is playing at his All-Pro form from 2021. He has scored seven TDs over the past three games — five receiving and two rushing — and is the first Niners player with three straight multi-touchdown games since Terrell Owens in 2000. The most recent player to do it four games in a row was Joe Mixon in 2021.
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