The San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens used to be a big-time matchup -- two top NFL teams, opponents in a Super Bowl and coached by brothers Jim and John Harbaugh. Jim, however, has left the Bay Area to turn around the University of Michigan, so it will be John against Jim Tomsula this week.
Ravens vs. 49ers 2015 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
San Francisco is favored in a battle of two 1-4 teams.
The 49ers looked impressive in the first week of the season, shutting down the Minnesota Vikings and watching Carlos Hyde go off for 168 yards. They lost the next three games by a combined score of 107-28, but those were to the Pittsburgh Steelers (with Ben Roethlisberger), Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. They looked more respectable last week, leading in the final minute before Eli Manning broke their hearts in a 30-27 loss.
Baltimore has taken a different approach to 1-4, having only been outscored by 14 points in its five games. They started the season with narrow losses to the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, beat Pittsburgh (with Mike Vick) in overtime and then lost to the Cleveland Browns in overtime.
Both teams are coming off embarrassing performances by their pass defenses. Manning threw for 441 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday night, moving the ball with ease on the winning drive, while Josh McCown set a Browns franchise record with 457 yards in Cleveland's overtime win against the Ravens. The winner of this game might just be the first team to at least slow the other quarterback down.
Given their performances this year, it is more likely that Joe Flacco will have the big game while the Ravens might be able to slow down Colin Kaepernick. Flacco has been a little more efficient with the ball, throwing more touchdowns than interceptions, while Kaepernick has been on the wrong side of balanced. If the Ravens get Steve Smith and Crockett Gilmore back from injury, that will make Flacco even more dangerous.
The Ravens are also expected to have Justin Forsett in the backfield. He's rushed for 271 yards in the last two games, but is dealing with an ankle injury sustained against Cleveland. If all three play, Baltimore could have a sizable offensive edge.
San Francisco is also hoping to have an offensive weapon back -- Vernon Davis is expected to return after being out for most of three games with a knee injury. Davis would be a nice addition to Kaepernick's favorite target, Anquan Boldin and deep threat Torrey Smith.
Most experts are picking San Francisco at home, but looking at advanced metrics, the Ravens look like a mediocre team that has been unlucky, while the 49ers just appear to be a bad team on both sides of the ball. For the Niners to win, they are going to have to get their passing game going and find a way to stop Flacco -- two things they haven’t done at all this season. Baltimore will have to overcome the problems of an East Coast team traveling west, but it does appear to be playing better right now, at least on paper.
How to watch
When: 4:25 ET.
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Network: CBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon, Jamie Erdahl
Online: NFL Game Pass
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