Though the 49ers and Ravens are the top teams in their respective conferences and are trending towards a Super Bowl, there are reasons why their Christmas Day clash will mean little if they do meet in February.
For two teams in differing conferences, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens' few matchups have carried quite a bit of weight.
Most recently, the Ravens defeated the Niners in 2019, a hard-nosed matchup in the rain and grime between an ascending San Francisco team and a Baltimore team with a future league MVP, quarterback Lamar Jackson. A matchup between arguably the two best teams in the NFL at the time, and one that the Ravens won. That season ended, as 49ers fans know, with the Niners losing in the Super Bowl and the Ravens being upset in the AFC divisional round.
In 2013, the 49ers and Ravens matched up in the Super Bowl, with the Ravens coming out on top.
This matchup, though, seems particularly compelling, as far as regular seasons go. The 49ers and Ravens have the same record, are the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, have annihilated very talented opponents but have stumbled against opponents at times. They feature explosive offenses with talented playmakers (though very different in stature) and stout defenses that can stifle the best of offenses.
So close to the start of the playoffs, it is easy to bill this game as a Super Bowl preview, and indeed, it is likely both teams meet again in February. But, in the case of these two teams in particular, this Christmas Day matchup will mean little for a Super Bowl rematch.
Here's why there's not much to take away from 49ers-Ravens when thinking about the Super Bowl.
Injuries have made 49ers, Ravens very different right now
The age-old caveat to all games, both the Ravens and 49ers head into Monday's game dealing with some injuries.
On the 49ers' end, both starting defensive tackles, Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave, have not practiced this week and are questionable to play against Baltimore. They have Ray-Ray McCloud, their primary punt-returner, still on injured reserve, along with a glut of injuries on their defensive line depth.
The Ravens, on the other hand, are dealing with injuries to Odell Beckham Jr., one of their best receivers, and their star tight end Mark Andrews is still on IR, potentially able to come back in the playoffs.
These injuries change the complexion of the game for both teams. Armstead and Hargrave are requirements for having a decent run defense, something the Ravens can easily take advantage of with them out.
For the Ravens, Mark Andrews and Odell Beckham Jr. create unique matchup advantages that can stress San Francisco's defense.
Super Bowl Sunday between these two teams would have very different lineups, making this game not all that indicative of the teams.
The unique stresses of both 49ers, Ravens' offenses
More than most offenses in the NFL, the 49ers and Ravens present unique challenges to NFL defenses. On the Niners' end, their positional flexibility places defenses in compromising positions almost constantly.
For the Ravens, it is the threat of Lamar Jackson as a runner; an athlete not seen at quarterback for any team in the NFC.
There is a reason that Jackson is 19-3 against NFC teams for his career (with two of those losses coming in his rookie season). He presents such a unique challenge that defenses that rarely, if ever, see him are not prepared to defend him.
That uniqueness challenge still exists in the playoffs, but the additional week of preparation should theoretically allow for a defense to be better prepared to play against this Ravens offense.
Likewise, extra preparation never hurt a team against the 49ers and their myriad weapons.
There is a desire to make every game in the NFL bigger and mean more than just a game. The 49ers-Cowboys was a referendum on Dallas' improvements to match up against a team that had beaten it in the playoffs for the last two years, and the 49ers-Eagles was a rematch of an NFC championship game.
But the reality is each week is different in the NFL, and should the 49ers and Ravens meet in the Super Bowl, what happens Christmas will mean little for how that game turns out.