Baltimore's defense faces its biggest test yet when the Ravens take on Brock Purdy and the 49ers

Updated Dec. 21, 2023 5:36 p.m. ET

Associated Press

It's one of the biggest debates of the 2023 NFL season: Brock Purdy, superstar or game manager?

His next opponent already sounds convinced of the answer.

“Seems like he gets a lot of hate from the stuff that I see. I don’t know why,” Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “You cut up the film, he’s just really a good quarterback. I think that kind of surprised me just (because) I’ve been hearing so much chatter about the guys surrounding him (that) make him good and the coaches, but when you look at the film, he’s putting throws right where they need to be.”

The Ravens will find out soon enough what it's like to go up against Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers. The teams meet Monday night in a matchup of the league's top two records. It's the start of a major test for a Baltimore defense that has been outstanding all season. After the trip to San Francisco comes a home game against Miami — those are the top two teams in the league in total offense.

First up, a San Francisco team that has scored 42 points against both Philadelphia and Dallas. Given the sheer number of game changers the 49ers (11-3) can put on the field, allocating the credit is tricky, but Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating.

“The word around the league is he's a system quarterback, and I just think that's not true,” Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton said. “He's making every throw that you can make as a quarterback. It's on time, on target. Makes good decisions, he's mobile. He's got a great cast around him at the same time. Yeah, he's really good. Props to him. It's a pretty good story, what he's done now.”

That cast around Purdy includes NFL rushing leader Christian McCaffrey, receiving stars Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle. When healthy, the 49ers have been more than opponents can handle.

The same can be said of Baltimore's defense, however. The Ravens (11-3) have allowed the fewest points in the league and the fewest touchdowns. Baltimore has allowed one TD or fewer in nine of its 14 games.

“I feel like it’s an opportunity for everybody on defense to really showcase what we’re about against a great offense. Props to those guys over there. There are playmakers all over the field,” Hamilton said. “We’re just the guys to go handle it, but at the same time, we have to be locked in.”

The Ravens have held opponents to a league-best 4.91 yards per pass play, in part because they lead the league with 50 sacks. Justin Madubuike has at least a half-sack in 11 straight games, tying an NFL record. Hamilton, a first-round draft pick last year, has emerged as a versatile force in the secondary.

“We feel like we match up well against anybody, basically, and we like our players a lot,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We think we have really excellent players, the highest-level players. It’s going to be hard for us not to match up well. It’s going to be hard to outmatch us — I don’t care who you are.”

The Ravens are well aware that they're an underdog. The spread was 5 1/2 points as of Thursday afternoon at FanDuel Sportsbook. That's understandable with the 49ers playing at home and winners of six straight, but the Ravens haven't been in this position much lately.

And they don't sound all that eager to accept it.

“We feel a little disrespected by that,” Hamilton said. "I feel like we are the best team in the league, and we have an opportunity in front of the country to show it.”

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