How the Ravens will Defend the 49ers Offense

The Ravens have the No. 1 defense in the NFL -- they certainly think they can shut down the 49ers offense. But they have to decide whom they want to shut down first -- Christian McCaffrey or Brock Purdy.

It will be interesting to see on whom the Ravens choose to focus. My guess is they'll focus on McCaffrey, because he has been the engine of the 49ers offense since they traded for him last season. Only recently has Purdy been the engine of a pass-first attack.

The Ravens are an AFC team that probably doesn't know the 49ers so well. So expect the Ravens to put eight defenders in the box on first and second down and dare the 49ers to put the game in Brock Purdy's hands -- something they've been quite willing to do all season.

Here's the problem with putting eight defenders in the box: The Ravens will make themselves vulnerable to the play-action pass, which is the most dangerous weapon in the 49ers offense. And the Ravens don't have the most explosive pass rush in the league, so the 49ers should have time to execute play action.

To play eight defenders in the box against the 49ers and not get shredded, the opponent must have three excellent cornerbacks. Otherwise, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel will find the weakest link and exploit him all game.

Fortunately for the Ravens, they have three excellent cornerbacks -- Marlon Humprhey, Brandon Stephens and Kyle Hamilton in the slot. The Ravens defensive game plan will be only as effective as these three are in coverage.