Conference leaders battle in NFL Christmas Dinner Feast

2 years ago - Sportingbase

There is a juicy matchup on Christmas night between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens. In the final game of Week 16, the American Football Conference leading Baltimore Ravens face the National Football Conference leading San Francisco 49ers. Both the 49ers and Ravens enter the game with identical records of 11 wins and three losses.

The Ravens have outscored their opponents so far this season 384 to 225. Winners of four straight games, the Ravens have only lost one game on the road. That came on October 8, when they were beaten 17-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens are led offensively by quarterback Lamar Jackson of Pompano Beach, Florida, the 2019 NFL MVP. In 14 games, he has completed 266 passes in 401 attempts for 3105 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Jackson also has 741 rushes and five touchdowns.

What can you say about the talented group in San Francisco? It includes quarterback quarterback Brock Purdy of Queen Creek, California, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk of Reno, Nevada, and Deebo Samuel of Inman, South Carolina, tight end George Kittle of Madison, Wisconsin, and of course Christian McCaffrey of Castle Rock, Colorado. From an offensive perspective, you could make the argument that it is the most explosive group of five in the entire NFL.

The heart and soul of the 49ers offense is McCaffrey, who leads the entire NFL in rushing yards with 1292 and yards from scrimmage with 1801. When San Francisco acquired McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers last season, they knew they were getting an elite back. However, many might not have realized just how great McCaffrey would be.