How the 49ers Match Up with the Ravens

The 49ers haven't faced a team as good as the Ravens yet this season.

The Ravens have an MVP quarterback who can win with his arm and his legs. The 49ers historically have struggled against mobile quarterbacks and gave up 49 yards on the ground to Kyler Murray just last week. Jackson is much more dangerous than Murray.

In addition, the Ravens average 5.0 yards per carry -- second best in the NFL behind the Dolphins. Meaning better than the 49ers, who average 4.7 yards per carry. Granted, the Ravens lost running back Keaton Mitchell to a knee injury this past weekend, but they're still tough to stop on the ground. Meanwhile, the 49ers run defense ranks 19th in terms of yards per carry allowed. Which means the Ravens offense is strong where the 49ers defense is weak.

On the other side of the ball, the Ravens defense matches up well with the strengths of the 49ers offense, as All49ers writer Tom Jensen has pointed out.

The 49ers offense likes to take advantage of linebackers and safeties who can't cover Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, because most teams don't have linebackers and safeties who cover well.

But the Ravens have two outstanding linebackers -- Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen -- plus a fantastic safety, Kyle Hamilton. Which means the 49ers can't exploit those players the way they normally exploit defenders in the middle of the field.

Despite these factors, the 49ers still are 5.5-point favorites, because they're at home and they're simply more talented than every other team in the league. But the Ravens will present challenges the 49ers haven't faced yet. It will be so interesting to see how the 49ers respond.