SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The NFL schedule makers couldn’t have come up with a better Christmas night matchup than the one between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.
The top team in the AFC visiting the NFC’s best. Dominant defenses facing high-powered offenses. The top two MVP favorites.
The game Monday night between the AFC-leading Ravens (11-3) and the NFC-leading 49ers (11-3) might just be a preview of a far more important game at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas in February.
“You can’t ignore it,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “It’s two great teams going at it. We’re on Christmas Day; it’s kind of as big as it gets.”
The game Monday night marks just the second time in NFL history that the teams with sole possession of the best record in each conference played this late in the season. The other came in 2005 when Seattle beat Indianapolis in Week 16.
There have been 14 times that the Super Bowl featured a regular season rematch and both the Ravens and 49ers are listed as the favorites to get to the title game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
“(The) Super Bowl is in February,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “We’re in December right now. We have to focus on Monday night. I’m not worried about what people are saying.”
Baltimore and San Francisco have been two of the best teams the past five seasons when they’ve had healthy starting quarterbacks. That’s definitely the case this year with Jackson playing like he did when he won the MVP in 2019 for Baltimore after having his last two seasons cut short by injuries.
He has his best crop of receivers to help him out this season and a versatile defense that has allowed the fewest points in the NFL.
“You always know what you’re going to get from their team,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We haven’t played them in a little bit, but I know that hasn’t changed. You always see them on tape, you always see their numbers and they still have the same quarterback who will always be as big of an issue as there is.”
Brock Purdy is on a record-setting pace for the 49ers, leading the NFL in TD passes (29), passer rating (119) and yards per attempt (9.9).
He’s helped by the game’s best group of playmakers, led by do-everything running back Christian McCaffrey, and a dominant defense featuring All-Pros Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
“They do it all on both sides of the ball,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “They’re tough, they’re physical, they’re disciplined. They play hard. They play winning football. … I have a lot of respect for the coaches and the players. There’s just nothing about how they’re built that you couldn’t respect, so we understand that. What I’m looking to see is how we respond to that challenge.”
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS
The 49ers clinched the NFC West last week, while the Ravens were assured of a playoff spot after beating Jacksonville. Both teams still have more to play for in the final three games.
San Francisco can be assured of the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye with wins in two of the final three games. The Ravens can clinch the AFC North with a win and Cleveland loss this week but might need to beat Miami next week to earn the top seed.
SACK STREAKS
Baltimore’s pass rush has been fruitful this year, and one player has already made history. Justin Madubuike has at least a half-sack in 11 consecutive games, tying an NFL record. He’ll try to make it an even dozen Monday.
“He’s playing at a high level. He’s pretty relentless,” Harbaugh said. “He has a lot of guys around him playing really well, too. So, those guys kind of feed off each other, protect one another (and) create opportunities for one another.”
The Ravens have a league-leading 50 sacks, 10 shy of the franchise record set in 2006. Baltimore also has a sack in 35 consecutive games, the NFL’s longest active streak.
STOP THE RUN
One big concern for the 49ers could be their run defense after allowing 234 yards — their most in a game in more than six seasons — against the Cardinals in a win last week. Slowing down Jackson and the Ravens will be a tough challenge even after Baltimore lost Keaton Mitchell to a season-ending knee injury.
The main issue against the Cardinals was a season-high 16 missed tackles that contributed to six runs of at least 10 yards.
“There’s definitely a few plays last week that we that we’d like to have back and it would have looked a lot better in the stat sheet,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “But we watched the tape and we don’t feel it was as bad as the stat sheet says.”
NEXT MAN UP
Mitchell, a rookie whose speed added a new dimension to the Ravens’ running game, suffered his knee injury in the win over Jacksonville. It was the second big injury at the position for Baltimore after J.K. Dobbins went down in Week 1.
Still, the Ravens have overcome a similar test at tight end. Mark Andrews hurt his ankle against Cincinnati last month, and Isaiah Likely has stepped up and provided good production in his absence. Likely has a touchdown catch in each of the past two games.
“He’s a great guy. He always just wants to do well,” Harbaugh said. “Nobody is more coachable.”
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AP Sports Writer Noah Trister contributed to this report.
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