Ravens Gameplan vs. 49ers? 'Gotta Rough up Brock Purdy!' Says Cowboys' Michael Irvin
The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers are on a collision course on 'Monday Night Football' as the conference's best two teams meet.
With both sitting at 11-3 on the season, this game has all the makings of a "Super Bowl" preview for some. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are on a four-game winning streak and have the first-ranked defense for points allowed per game (16.1) and the fourth-ranked offense for points scored (27.4).
But how does Mike Macdonald's defense slow down a 49ers offense that is ranked third for points scored per game (30.4) and has weapons in Christan McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk?
Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin has a way.
“You can’t give him the opportunity to deploy these weapons,” Irvin said on NFL Network’s GameDay Morning. “You gotta get to Brock Purdy, you gotta rough up Brock Purdy right now. That means that defensive line for the Baltimore Ravens, they have to get to Brock Purdy to win this football game no other way will they be able to slow down that offense. But then need Superman to be Superman and that’s Lamar Jackson doing something great in the end.”
That seems good in theory but Purdy has only been sacked 26 times this season, so if Baltimore is to get a win on the road, then making Purdty uncomfortable is job number one.
Luckily, getting after the quarterback is what Baltimore does well as they are tied with the Buffalo BIlls in sacks (50) for the season.
So the Ravens have a blueprint for how to slow down this 49ers juggernaut, and it starts with getting pressure on Purdy. Can Macdonald devise a plan to "rough" up the leading MVP candidate?
Putting it simply, he has to if Baltimore is to have a shot at winning this game.
