What Are The 49ers Strengths And Weaknesses?

[chesapeakeaviator]

I won't say a bad thing about the 49ers. They've become a very good team and done it the right way. Instead of a bunch of elite crybaby millionaires, they have smart players who show up every single down and obviously handle coaching adjustments very well. Consistency is always a scary thing. Gore and Willis are absolutely the real deal.

Most Niners fans I met in college tended to be humble (kind of the opposite of your prototypical Squealers fan). A couple of them texted me and said they were quite nervous for this game and worried that Torrey would torch their secondary (assuming Carlos Rogers plays on Q). That will be the key for us, I think. I don't think it's possible to blow out the 49ers. If we win, we'll have to prove our mettle and hold on to a close one. Thank goodness we're at M&T.

[lowrider]

[quote name='PuRock' timestamp='1321886993' post='880089']

This is part of our strength. Webb, Pollard and even Reed are very good at closing in on short routes for tackles. We struggle more with when the QB has more than 3 seconds to throw down field. We prefer the short ball game. We can focus in on the run.
[/quote]
Really? The west coast game killed us vs the Titans. I think it helps that we aren't facing Kenny Britt, but Vernon Davis, Braylon Edwards, Crabtree, Gore are threats. Especially, with those quick passes, it allows Smith to get into a rhythm and not get affected by our pass rush.

And for everyone who is saying Alex Smith is a weakness is underrating him. I saw some beautiful touch passes from Smith this past week.

[PuRock]

[quote name='lowrider' timestamp='1321888648' post='880137']
Really? The west coast game killed us vs the Titans. I think it helps that we aren't facing Kenny Britt, but Vernon Davis, Braylon Edwards, Crabtree, Gore are threats. Especially, with those quick passes, it allows Smith to get into a rhythm and not get affected by our pass rush.

And for everyone who is saying Alex Smith is a weakness is underrating him. I saw some beautiful touch passes from Smith this past week.
[/quote]

The Titans were still hitting their receivers down the field which killed us the most. Britt and Washington were killing us in the midrange. 9ers prefer to use more of flats, screens and quick slants to go along with their running game. When they do this the safeties can play closer to the line to stop the run.

But the 9ers still have the capability to get down field with Crabtree and Edwards. But I would prefer Alex to take these shots than to have a successful run game.

[Carson16Lax]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1321825960' post='878845']

Lol against a washed up Cedric Benson. Have you seen Gore play?
[/quote]

Point is, an NFL running back had absolutely no shot against our maimed hodge podge ILB corp. I think we'll be fine against Gore considering we can drop another person down since our CB's are head and shoulders more reliable than their WR's.

[Fryet]

Hello, respectful 49er fan here.

I would have to agree that 49er fans are very confident right now and expect to win this game - we are 9-1 for a reason. However, 49er fans also realize that this is a game we can easily lose, and are looking forward to a slug fest between 2 great teams. Ravens have been known for a long time for having a great defense, and I must confess my hope is that in this game the mantle of great defense will be passed over from Ravens to 49ers. Of course, I imagine you aren't ready to give up that mantle just yet. (: Anyway, I do hope that both teams can have all of their starters playing - I want to see both teams playing at their best. I think it will also better prepare both teams for the playoffs.

When it comes to beating the 49ers, they are a hard team to beat. They have a great defense, and are very balanced on offense. You keep talking about stopping Frank Gore. While stopping him should certainly be a part of any defensive game plan, I would like to note that the 49ers have had that happen to them in 4 games this season. In the first 3 games of the season, the OL was out of sync and the run game was not that effective. 49ers won 2 out of 3 anyway (lone loss was due to defensive collapse). Against the Giants last week, Frank Gore had 0 yards on 6 rushes and left the game. The 49ers had 250 yards passing and beat the Giants anyway.

You talk about stopping the 49er receivers. But that ignores the 2 very talented tight ends that the 49ers have - Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker. Teams also try and double Vernon, but often Delanie has a big game instead.

So in short, the key to stopping the 49er offense is not stopping a single player. Defensively the key is to be balanced, and I expect that your defense is up to the occasion. Force the 49er offense to run 10+ play drives, and their first achilles heal will be revealed - they do poorly on third down and end up punting. If they do march down the field, you will discover their second achilles heal - red zone offense. If I were running your defense, I would single cover the wide receivers (49ers have a hard time connecting with the long pass, even when the CB is beat), and have extra defenders in the middle of the field. Rush only 4, as Alex gets better when extra blitzers are sent.

When it comes to attacking the 49er defense, it does get tricky. On the run game, the 49ers do give up a fair number of runs in the 4-8 yard variety, but they often stuff a run for no gain as well. 10+ yard runs are quite rare. From what I hear, you have a great running offense, so if I were you, I would not abandon it, but it can be difficult to sustain drives on the ground, because of the frequent 0 yard gains. The 49ers are more vulnerable against the pass, however they are very good in the red zone. The key to beating the 49er defense is to attack the end zone when you are just outside the 20 yard line. The 49ers have given up a fair number of touch downs in that scenario.

A few final comments about the 49ers. It will take long drives to score points on the 49ers. They have excellent special teams, and rarely turn the ball over. You will need a strong game from your special team units. And, of course, you can't afford to turn the ball over.

P.S. While it would be great to get a big lead against the 49ers to force the 49ers to be one dimensional, that is awfully hard to do. It has only happened once this season - the Philadelphia Eagles. They had a 20 point lead and still lost the game. The 49ers chose to remain balanced even when down 20 and Alex Smith played perfect in the 3rd quarter to get them back in the game.

[NinerFaithful]

I've been looking for forward to this game for months now. I think this will be a tough contest between two evenly matched teams. Alex is playing better this year, although he regressed a little this past weekend with some sloppy throws, and Gore and Hunter are a great one-two punch in the running game. Obviously our defense is playing lights out and has definitely impressed this year. I'm thinking that home field for the Ravens may be the difference in this game but hopefully the Niners find a way to win another tough one on the road.

Here's to a Great game with NO injuries...GO NINERS!!!

[BenDufusberger]

[quote name='Fryet' timestamp='1321894665' post='880271']

P.S. While it would be great to get a big lead against the 49ers to force the 49ers to be one dimensional, that is awfully hard to do. It has only happened once this season - the Philadelphia Eagles. They had a 20 point lead and still lost the game. The 49ers chose to remain balanced even when down 20 and Alex Smith played perfect in the 3rd quarter to get them back in the game.
[/quote]

Is there any way we can have this post forwarded to Cam , Harbs , and Joe ?

[Suggs Package]

[b]Safeties[/b] - They have two safeties who could be good to borderline Pro Bowlers. Carlos Rodgers is getting the credit, but he's able to play agressively because Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson are covering his behind. Both are faster than average. They don't make many big plays, but take proper angles and are great tacklers.
[b]Cornerbacks [/b]- Carlos Rogers has learned how to catch, but besides that, nothing's changed from his time with the Redskins. The backups are average at best and I think we can really exploit them if we get single coverage.
[b]ILB[/b] - Willis and Bowman are playing as good as I've seen in a long time. No real weakness here.
[b]OLB[/b] - They get all of their sacks from Aldon Smith, who's a rookie situational pass-rusher. Ahmad Brooks is pretty one dimensional as well. We won't have to worry too much about them in coverage, but moreso rushing the passer.
[b]DL[/b] - Justin Smith is one of the best in the NFL. He's also probably their best pass rusher, which is rare for 3-4 teams nowadays. The other guys are stout, lane clogging DTs.

On offense, our gameplan must involve getting to the perimeter because that's where the weakness is on the defense. Joe has gotta pass to the sidelines to keep the their safeties and ILB from making plays. In the running game, we have to try to get to the outsides as well because we aren't getting anything up the middle.

[b]QB[/b] - Alex Smith is a very accurate QB in his short to intermediate passes, but doesn't have the touch or arm strength to make deep passes. He also seems very indecisive, which leads to him being sacked a fair bit. If you can take away his favorite target, then you can pressure him a lot
[b]RB[/b] - Gore is very patient and powerful. Also is a good blocker. He doesn't have breakaway speed and they're not throwing him the ball a lot this year. Kendall Hunter has come on as a change of pace/3rd down back
[b]OL[/b] - They seem to be better at run blocking than pass protection. You can beat the interior line if you spread them out and force them to move laterally. Anthony Davis is susceptible again counter moves.
[b]WR[/b] - They have a bunch of good, but not great receivers. Crabtree has good moves and can catch anything, but he isn't going to scare you with his breakaway speed. Josh Morgan is the big play receiver on the team, but it seems the 49ers haven't figured out how to get the ball to him enough
[b]TE[/b] - Vernon Davis is a freak of nature. The end.

If I were Chuck, I would play press man coverage to take away short passes to Crabtree. I would creep in the safeties to help against the run and also help cover Davis, while sacrificing the big play. If you can limit Crabtree and Davis, Smith will hold on to the ball too long and invite pressures. I would use any type of blitz that would force the interior linemen to move laterally. In terms of the run, I would read and react for gap control, sacrificing small gains while limiting the big gains.

[cursona pirate]

stop the run game forcing the 49ers to throw the ball.
Offense run and play action all day.

[XxSizzleXx]

Justin Smith is a helluva pass rusher for his size and for the position he plays.

[Fryet]

[quote name='Suggs Package' timestamp='1321909917' post='880629']
[b]Safeties[/b] - They have two safeties who could be good to borderline Pro Bowlers. Carlos Rodgers is getting the credit, but he's able to play agressively because Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson are covering his behind. Both are faster than average. They don't make many big plays, but take proper angles and are great tacklers.
[b]Cornerbacks [/b]- Carlos Rogers has learned how to catch, but besides that, nothing's changed from his time with the Redskins. The backups are average at best and I think we can really exploit them if we get single coverage.
[b]ILB[/b] - Willis and Bowman are playing as good as I've seen in a long time. No real weakness here.
[b]OLB[/b] - They get all of their sacks from Aldon Smith, who's a rookie situational pass-rusher. Ahmad Brooks is pretty one dimensional as well. We won't have to worry too much about them in coverage, but moreso rushing the passer.
[b]DL[/b] - Justin Smith is one of the best in the NFL. He's also probably their best pass rusher, which is rare for 3-4 teams nowadays. The other guys are stout, lane clogging DTs.

On offense, our gameplan must involve getting to the perimeter because that's where the weakness is on the defense. Joe has gotta pass to the sidelines to keep the their safeties and ILB from making plays. In the running game, we have to try to get to the outsides as well because we aren't getting anything up the middle.

[b]QB[/b] - Alex Smith is a very accurate QB in his short to intermediate passes, but doesn't have the touch or arm strength to make deep passes. He also seems very indecisive, which leads to him being sacked a fair bit. If you can take away his favorite target, then you can pressure him a lot
[b]RB[/b] - Gore is very patient and powerful. Also is a good blocker. He doesn't have breakaway speed and they're not throwing him the ball a lot this year. Kendall Hunter has come on as a change of pace/3rd down back
[b]OL[/b] - They seem to be better at run blocking than pass protection. You can beat the interior line if you spread them out and force them to move laterally. Anthony Davis is susceptible again counter moves.
[b]WR[/b] - They have a bunch of good, but not great receivers. Crabtree has good moves and can catch anything, but he isn't going to scare you with his breakaway speed. Josh Morgan is the big play receiver on the team, but it seems the 49ers haven't figured out how to get the ball to him enough
[b]TE[/b] - Vernon Davis is a freak of nature. The end.

If I were Chuck, I would play press man coverage to take away short passes to Crabtree. I would creep in the safeties to help against the run and also help cover Davis, while sacrificing the big play. If you can limit Crabtree and Davis, Smith will hold on to the ball too long and invite pressures. I would use any type of blitz that would force the interior linemen to move laterally. In terms of the run, I would read and react for gap control, sacrificing small gains while limiting the big gains.
[/quote]

There a couple of inaccuracies here. The 49ers OL is much improved after the first 3 games of the season. They can run block and pass block. Not saying that they can't be beat, but they are now a strength for the team imo. Josh Morgan is on IR, and I don't think he will be heavily involved in the game plan on Sunday. [img]http://content.boards.baltimoreravens.com//public/style_emoticons/default/wink.png[/img]

[footballfan78]

[quote name='Suggs Package' timestamp='1321909917' post='880629']
[b]Safeties[/b] - They have two safeties who could be good to borderline Pro Bowlers. Carlos Rodgers is getting the credit, but he's able to play agressively because Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson are covering his behind. Both are faster than average. They don't make many big plays, but take proper angles and are great tacklers.
[b]Cornerbacks [/b]- Carlos Rogers has learned how to catch, but besides that, nothing's changed from his time with the Redskins. The backups are average at best and I think we can really exploit them if we get single coverage.
[b]ILB[/b] - Willis and Bowman are playing as good as I've seen in a long time. No real weakness here.
[b]OLB[/b] - They get all of their sacks from Aldon Smith, who's a rookie situational pass-rusher. Ahmad Brooks is pretty one dimensional as well. We won't have to worry too much about them in coverage, but moreso rushing the passer.
[b]DL[/b] - Justin Smith is one of the best in the NFL. He's also probably their best pass rusher, which is rare for 3-4 teams nowadays. The other guys are stout, lane clogging DTs.

On offense, our gameplan must involve getting to the perimeter because that's where the weakness is on the defense. Joe has gotta pass to the sidelines to keep the their safeties and ILB from making plays. In the running game, we have to try to get to the outsides as well because we aren't getting anything up the middle.

[b]QB[/b] - Alex Smith is a very accurate QB in his short to intermediate passes, but doesn't have the touch or arm strength to make deep passes. He also seems very indecisive, which leads to him being sacked a fair bit. If you can take away his favorite target, then you can pressure him a lot
[b]RB[/b] - Gore is very patient and powerful. Also is a good blocker. He doesn't have breakaway speed and they're not throwing him the ball a lot this year. Kendall Hunter has come on as a change of pace/3rd down back
[b]OL[/b] - They seem to be better at run blocking than pass protection. You can beat the interior line if you spread them out and force them to move laterally. Anthony Davis is susceptible again counter moves.
[b]WR[/b] - They have a bunch of good, but not great receivers. Crabtree has good moves and can catch anything, but he isn't going to scare you with his breakaway speed. Josh Morgan is the big play receiver on the team, but it seems the 49ers haven't figured out how to get the ball to him enough
[b]TE[/b] - Vernon Davis is a freak of nature. The end.

If I were Chuck, I would play press man coverage to take away short passes to Crabtree. I would creep in the safeties to help against the run and also help cover Davis, while sacrificing the big play. If you can limit Crabtree and Davis, Smith will hold on to the ball too long and invite pressures. I would use any type of blitz that would force the interior linemen to move laterally. In terms of the run, I would read and react for gap control, sacrificing small gains while limiting the big gains.
[/quote]

As a Niner fan, this post is pretty close to spot on. Two things though:

1. Whitner and Goldson aren't only good tacklers, they are hitters. In fact, this whole D loves to hit...hard. They have put out something like 5 running back this year, and broke Romo's ribs. I know Ravens fans appreciate that.

2. Josh Morgan has been out since Week 4. The WRs are mostly Crabtree & Braylon Edwards. Edwards has been hurt and hasn't had a good showing yet. But, he is the biggest and tallest receiver, and the Niners have been trying to get him involved in the Redzone. The one to look out for is Williams crossing the field. He is small and fast.

Other than that, good analysis. I see these two teams as almost mirrors of each other. Should be a close fought battle.

[ravensdfan]

[quote name='footballfan78' timestamp='1321912375' post='880672']

As a Niner fan, this post is pretty close to spot on. Two things though:

1. Whitner and Goldson aren't only good tacklers, they are hitters. In fact, this whole D loves to hit...hard. They have put out something like 5 running back this year, and broke Romo's ribs. I know Ravens fans appreciate that.

2. Josh Morgan has been out since Week 4. The WRs are mostly Crabtree & Braylon Edwards. Edwards has been hurt and hasn't had a good showing yet. But, he is the biggest and tallest receiver, and the Niners have been trying to get him involved in the Redzone. The one to look out for is Williams crossing the field. He is small and fast.

Other than that, good analysis. I see these two teams as almost mirrors of each other. Should be a close fought battle.
[/quote]

Sadly, my area has not had any 49er games on in order for me to get a good look at your team. However, going strictly by highlights and stats I believe if we can limit Gore's success and force Smith to pass 40 plus times, we win this game. It is not that Smith has not been doing well, but he has been doing well as a more specific type of passer so forcing him to go outside his comfort zone will work in our favor.

We need to disguise our blitz packages much better than we have been in the last few weeks because you seem to have a talented OL. In order to get pressure, we will need to be creative.

I expect this to be a tough game no matter what.

[The Black Bird]

They still haven't allowed a rushing TD yet so Flacco is gonna have to throw some TDs for us to win this game.

[ball hawkin 20]

[url="http://www.nfl.com/teams/sanfrancisco49ers/profile?team=SF"]http://www.nfl.com/teams/sanfrancisco49ers/profile?team=SF[/url]

Frank Gore is questionable! (so far)

[Gordo52]

Strengths for this game: Gore, less then 100% Lewis, and their stellar defense.
Weaknesses: Has 3 more days to prepare. Had to fly from SanFran to Bmore. Alex Smith on the road. Ravens D. Ray Rice. Jim being the little brother. On the Road.

I think this will be a huge game for us. I think our Defense makes some huge plays and that[b] Ray Rice becomes first RB to run for 100 and score a rushing TD vs the 49ers this year.([/b]Bold Prediction[b])[/b] I think this will be a medium scoring game. 49ers this season have not faced a D like the Ravens or a RB like Rice. You can look at who they've faced so far. And being on the road makes it even worse for them. Ravens at home will stop Gore forcing Smith to throw and I'm not convinced that he can do it in M&T. I think Joe throws the TD that will seal it. Joe [b]will [/b]this game for us.

Predictions: Ravens win..... 23-17
Rice- 101 yds 1 Td, 48 rec yds
Joe- 209 yds 1 Tds, 1 INT(for Td) 1 Fumble
Boldin- 6 rec 75 yds 1 Td
Lewis 1 INT 11 tackles 1 FR
Webb 1 INT
Williams 1 INT
McClain FF
Cundiff 3/4 long 51

49ERS: Gore 21 rushes 78 yds 1 TD
Culliver: pick 6
Smith: 269 yds 3 INTS (1 TD called back Vernon Davis PI, settled for 3)
Akers: 1/1

Mark it lol

[ball hawkin 20]

[quote name='Ravens<3' timestamp='1321931971' post='881039']
Strengths for this game: Gore, less then 100% Lewis, and their stellar defense.
Weaknesses: Has 3 more days to prepare. Had to fly from SanFran to Bmore. Alex Smith on the road. Ravens D. Ray Rice. Jim being the little brother. On the Road.

I think this will be a huge game for us. I think our Defense makes some huge plays and that[b] Ray Rice becomes first RB to run for 100 and score a rushing TD vs the 49ers this year.([/b]Bold Prediction[b])[/b] I think this will be a medium scoring game. 49ers this season have not faced a D like the Ravens or a RB like Rice. You can look at who they've faced so far. And being on the road makes it even worse for them. Ravens at home will stop Gore forcing Smith to throw and I'm not convinced that he can do it in M&T. I think Joe throws the TD that will seal it. Joe [b]will [/b]this game for us.

Predictions: Ravens win..... 23-17
Rice- 101 yds 1 Td, 48 rec yds
Joe- 209 yds 1 Tds, 1 INT(for Td) 1 Fumble
Boldin- 6 rec 75 yds 1 Td
Lewis 1 INT 11 tackles 1 FR
Webb 1 INT
Williams 1 INT
McClain FF
Cundiff 3/4 long 51

49ERS: Gore 21 rushes 78 yds 1 TD
Culliver: pick 6
Smith: 269 yds 3 INTS (1 TD called back Vernon Davis PI, settled for 3)
Akers: 1/1

Mark it lol
[/quote]

3 ints? i think that's the boldest statement, he hasn't been making dangerous throws, i've been scouting there team for the past 2 days..hes a game manager but the thing he excels at is ball security, which he might be the best at

[Gordo52]

[quote name='ball hawkin 20' timestamp='1321932294' post='881044']

3 ints? i think that's the boldest statement, he hasn't been making dangerous throws, i've been scouting there team for the past 2 days..hes a game manager but the thing he excels at is ball security, which he might be the best at
[/quote]
I know I think hes good also, I have him on my fantasy team when he plays at home. But vs the Ravens D on prime time on the oroad under pressure, I cant see him doing good vs us

[jiggacon32]

[quote name='Fryet' timestamp='1321894665' post='880271']
Hello, respectful 49er fan here.

I would have to agree that 49er fans are very confident right now and expect to win this game - we are 9-1 for a reason. However, 49er fans also realize that this is a game we can easily lose, and are looking forward to a slug fest between 2 great teams. Ravens have been known for a long time for having a great defense, and I must confess my hope is that in this game the mantle of great defense will be passed over from Ravens to 49ers. Of course, I imagine you aren't ready to give up that mantle just yet. (: Anyway, I do hope that both teams can have all of their starters playing - I want to see both teams playing at their best. I think it will also better prepare both teams for the playoffs.

When it comes to beating the 49ers, they are a hard team to beat. They have a great defense, and are very balanced on offense. You keep talking about stopping Frank Gore. While stopping him should certainly be a part of any defensive game plan, I would like to note that the 49ers have had that happen to them in 4 games this season. In the first 3 games of the season, the OL was out of sync and the run game was not that effective. 49ers won 2 out of 3 anyway (lone loss was due to defensive collapse). Against the Giants last week, Frank Gore had 0 yards on 6 rushes and left the game. The 49ers had 250 yards passing and beat the Giants anyway.

You talk about stopping the 49er receivers. But that ignores the 2 very talented tight ends that the 49ers have - Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker. Teams also try and double Vernon, but often Delanie has a big game instead.

So in short, the key to stopping the 49er offense is not stopping a single player. Defensively the key is to be balanced, and I expect that your defense is up to the occasion. Force the 49er offense to run 10+ play drives, and their first achilles heal will be revealed - they do poorly on third down and end up punting. If they do march down the field, you will discover their second achilles heal - red zone offense. If I were running your defense, I would single cover the wide receivers (49ers have a hard time connecting with the long pass, even when the CB is beat), and have extra defenders in the middle of the field. Rush only 4, as Alex gets better when extra blitzers are sent.

When it comes to attacking the 49er defense, it does get tricky. On the run game, the 49ers do give up a fair number of runs in the 4-8 yard variety, but they often stuff a run for no gain as well. 10+ yard runs are quite rare. From what I hear, you have a great running offense, so if I were you, I would not abandon it, but it can be difficult to sustain drives on the ground, because of the frequent 0 yard gains. The 49ers are more vulnerable against the pass, however they are very good in the red zone. The key to beating the 49er defense is to attack the end zone when you are just outside the 20 yard line. The 49ers have given up a fair number of touch downs in that scenario.

A few final comments about the 49ers. It will take long drives to score points on the 49ers. They have excellent special teams, and rarely turn the ball over. You will need a strong game from your special team units. And, of course, you can't afford to turn the ball over.

P.S. While it would be great to get a big lead against the 49ers to force the 49ers to be one dimensional, that is awfully hard to do. It has only happened once this season - the Philadelphia Eagles. They had a 20 point lead and still lost the game. The 49ers chose to remain balanced even when down 20 and Alex Smith played perfect in the 3rd quarter to get them back in the game.
[/quote]

Niners fan here. I'd have to agree with the above assessment about the 49ers. I'd like to add that we may not have the "super star" names (offensive side of the ball) on this roster but we have very talent players at the skill positions. As Fryet eluded to that's why it's difficult to game plan against the offense. It's hard to focus on just stopping one player, (ie Giants went all out to stop the run and Alex threw 30 times while hitting 8 different receivers). As one dimensional as most people think the Niners offense is, it really isn't. The Niners have a lot of weapons on the offensive side of that ball and the coaches use that to their advantage to find match up problems for opposing defenses. Harbaugh's (Jim) staff is very good at finding chinks in the armor and exploiting them and making adjustments on the fly (something previous regimes never did).

The defensive side of the ball is lights out. The secondary is the obvious weakness but we overcome that with scheme (stopped both fitzgerald and megatron). Little difficult time stopping the Giants wideouts but eli is playing lights out this year. Rarely does the defense make a huge mistake (bend) but it doesn't break. Somehow the D finds a way to keep the other team out of the end zone.

I'm stoked ravens fans get a chance to see the niners play because you all enjoy and appreciate physical, hard nosed football which is exactly how Harbaugh has the niners playing. Looking forward to a hard fought, close game Thursday night. Having said that the football gods will probably screw us all and it'll end up being a blow out.

[Texas9erFan]

[quote name='ball hawkin 20' timestamp='1321824504' post='878726']
Just trying to think of matchups that would favor us..i don't follow the 49ers by any means
[/quote]
Without reading the rest of this thread first I'll just answer the topic starter.

OFFENSE
A good though somewhat average all around game ancored by a strong running game and short passing game. The long ball needs more work. Statistically Alex leads the league in the red zone, but you couldn't prove it by last Sunday's performance. They tend to take what defenses give them. Nothing really gets forced. They usually control the clock and thereby the tempo of the game.
Tied with the Texans for fewest giveaways with 9. Alex is tied with Aaron Rodgers for fewest INTs with 4.

DEFENSE
[b]Forget about the run.[/b] NOBODY runs successfully against the Niners. And you absolutely WILL NOT score a TD on the ground.
Statistically the Niner secondary gives up a lot of yards passing. But that usually happens between the 20's. The Niners allow the fewest points in the NFL with the bulk being FG's but the TD's are all pass plays. The closer you get to the goal line, the harder it is. Best bet is to score from outside the 20. The Niners lead the league in takeaways with 26. 15 INTs(tied for 2nd) and 11 Fumble recoveries(1st)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Punting - Lead the league with 43.4 average
Field Goals - Lead the league with 102 pts
Kick Returns - 2nd In NFL with 28.04 yds
Punt Returns - 8th in NFL with 11.42 yds

[Texas9erFan]

[quote name='RayRiceRunningfortheRavns' timestamp='1321856775' post='879855']
Final Score: Ravens 34 (Flacco 310 yards, 1 int, 3 TDs; Rice 65 yards, 1 TD; Cundiff 2 FGs)
49ers 21 (Smith 170 yards, 3 int, 1 TD, Frank Gore, 90 yards, 2 TD)
[/quote]
[i][b]LOL![/b][/i] Not a chance. No team has scored more than [b]24 points[/b] against us all season.

I hate to say it, but this thing smells like a FG fest to me. Very few TD's will be scored... 1 or 2 each!! MAYBE

And there is no way on God's green Earth that Smitty will commit 3 INT's. Ain't gonna happen. LOL!!

[jordan23]

[quote name='ball hawkin 20' timestamp='1321824504' post='878726']
Just trying to think of matchups that would favor us..i don't follow the 49ers by any means
[/quote]

Coming from a niners fan...niners weakness is the secondary and redzone efficiency (too many field goals instead of touchdowns). The strengths right now is definitely the front 7....a lot of pressure without blitzing. The offensive line has been beasting too keeping pressure off Alex and opening up holes for the run game which comes to a surprise for me b/c last year they sucked pretty bad.

[BenDufusberger]

For common opponents , the Cincy games were the ones I wanted to look at , simply because it's a tough defense and both the Ravens and 9ers pulled off a win.

Just comparing box scores , it looks like the Ravens offense performed quite a bit better vs Cincy's D than did the 9ers offense :
Pts. scored : Ravens 31 , 9ers 13
Total yds : Ravens 373 , 9ers 226
Yds/play : Ravens 6.7 , 9ers 3.5

The Ravens were better in both passing and rushing than the 9ers , but were worse in TOP : 27 min for the Ravens vs 35 for the 9ers.
Both offenses gave up 1 TO to the Bengals and had similar penalty yardage.Cincy D got 1 sack vs. Ravens compared to 5 vs the 9ers.

On the other hand , Cincy's offense did quite a bit better against the Ravens D than against the 9ers D :
Pts scored vs : Ravens 24 , 9ers 8
Total yds vs : Ravens 483 , 9ers 228
Yds / play vs. : Ravens 6.2 , 9ers 4.3

Cincy was more effective against the Ravens mainly in the passing game , as they picked up 4 yds/ carry rushing against both teams. Penalty yds by Cincy was similar against both teams. Cincy's offense had 3 TOs vs both teams as well. Cincy had much better TOP vs the Ravens at 33 min to 24 vs the 9ers , and thus also more total plays , first downs , etc. Ravens D got 2 sacks while the 9ers got 1 vs. Cincy.

Just based on this , you'd say the Ravens O is better and the 9ers D is better. Unstoppable force vs. immovable object , take your pick.

Of course , this is way too simple. Matchups matter , and both Cincy and the 9ers may be playing different ball now than when they met in week 3.

I think the oddsmakers have it about right - the teams are dead even , but the Ravens win by 3 because of home field.

[ravensdfan]

[quote name='ball hawkin 20' timestamp='1321932294' post='881044']

3 ints? i think that's the boldest statement, he hasn't been making dangerous throws, i've been scouting there team for the past 2 days..hes a game manager but the thing he excels at is ball security, which he might be the best at
[/quote]

Yeah, Dalton had that rep before Sunday as well. It all depends on Gore IMO. If we force Smith to put the game on his back, I think we can get those INTs. We can't let Gore get into a rhythm.

P.S. Looks like they are letting Ray decide whether or not he can play Thursday.

[Suggs Package]

[quote name='footballfan78' timestamp='1321912375' post='880672']

As a Niner fan, this post is pretty close to spot on. Two things though:

1. Whitner and Goldson aren't only good tacklers, they are hitters. In fact, this whole D loves to hit...hard. They have put out something like 5 running back this year, and broke Romo's ribs. I know Ravens fans appreciate that.

2. Josh Morgan has been out since Week 4. The WRs are mostly Crabtree & Braylon Edwards. Edwards has been hurt and hasn't had a good showing yet. But, he is the biggest and tallest receiver, and the Niners have been trying to get him involved in the Redzone. The one to look out for is Williams crossing the field. He is small and fast.

Other than that, good analysis. I see these two teams as almost mirrors of each other. Should be a close fought battle.
[/quote]

I forgot Josh Morgan was injured. Haven't watched a game since week 3, so that's prob why I didn't notice. I went to college and worked in the bay area before moving back to MD therefore I could only watch Niners and Raider games for awhile though. Wish the teams were this good back then. But no one should be surprised about the similarities in the teams as the coaches are brothers and don't forget that Vic Fangio was with the Ravens before going to Stanford, then SF, following Harbaugh.

A lot of the coaches and players are Singletary leftovers and Mike got his coaching start with us.

[Gtown Purple]

no way he misses this game....

[quote name='ball hawkin 20' timestamp='1321928956' post='880959'][url="http://www.nfl.com/teams/sanfrancisco49ers/profile?team=SF"]http://www.nfl.com/teams/sanfrancisco49ers/profile?team=SF[/url] Frank Gore is questionable! (so far)[/quote]

[Fryet]

[quote name='BenDufusberger' timestamp='1321951186' post='881213']
For common opponents , the Cincy games were the ones I wanted to look at , simply because it's a tough defense and both the Ravens and 9ers pulled off a win.
...
I think the oddsmakers have it about right - the teams are dead even , but the Ravens win by 3 because of home field.
[/quote]

Interesting analysis. For the 49ers, they had trouble blocking on the OL the first 3 games. Since then their blocking/offense has been much stronger. Defensively, they struggled a little until Dashon Goldson returned to the lineup (I am not sure when that happened).

[ajanke]

[quote name='Gtown Purple' timestamp='1321967175' post='881252']
no way he misses this game....
[/quote]
Sorry hadn't been able to keep up had a busy few days.
Frank Gore will play. He started against the Cardinals and played fine. I think we rested him the entire 4th quarter. Along with a few other starters and veterans.

It's tough for me to gauge still because of how our offense is continually changing.
Also crazy stat but last week we didn't send ONE blitz the ENTIRE game. 3-4 men rushes only. I'm assuming this week that we will blitz you guys...it's a nice sight to see that our coaches are finally game planning and changing up what they do according to what team they play. Singletary never did that.

[CowboyH8er]

The 49ers have played in the Eastern Time Zone 4 times this year and came away with 4 wins.
The trip will not be a factor.

The Ravens are going to Key in on Gore, As most teams have done, with only the GIants succeeding, and still fail to win the game.

The Only thing that has beat us this year is a fluke pass in OT.

Our Teams are very evenly matched, and will come down to a couple factors, Special teams and the field position they give the Offense, and Coaching.

A low scoring affair, 10-9 and Bragging rights for Jim at The Family Dinner.....

[good_n_purple]

I was just looking at their schedule and the stats from games. Except for a couple of games Smith's yardage totals have been fairly low while Gore reached over the 100 mark in five games. Smith looks to be efficient, and is only rated #23 in yardage...tells me he is a game manager. The numbers say the 49'ers are kind of like the Ravens of old..winning with defense, and just asking the offense to grind it out with timely passing. It looks like they are somewhat sussceptible to the pass if you believe the numbers, and their "D" is number one against the run

One interesting stat came from their Cardinals game. Their time of possession was 44 minutes!