The San Francisco 49ers defense, the top-ranked unit in the league, has a tough task ahead as it tries to find a way to stop quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens offense, a top-ranked unit itself. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already discussed the difficulty of planning for Jackson, calling him a fantastic runner when he is carrying the football and a quality quarterback when he is passing.
Jackson has passed for 2,427 yards and rushed for 876 yards. That puts him on pace for over 3,500 passing yards and nearly 1,300 yards rushing.
"He's just different in that he's a running back when he has the ball," Shanahan said on Wednesday. "You know, the other two guys (Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson), they can make a lot of plays with their legs and stuff, but eventually, they are going to slide and things like that. This guy, he's a running back out there, and a quarterback when he's throwing, but he can run hard. You've got to bring him down. He can take the hits, and he also can deliver them."
The Good Morning Football hosts are still looking for a team to find a way to stop Jackson, but don't necessarily believe this is the weekend it will happen.
Nate Burleson points to the New England Patriots as an example. That defense, also one of the best in the league, tried to stop the athletic quarterback and failed.
Burleson said, "It's not a question of, can you stop Lamar? It's more, can you slow down Lamar enough to have a chance to win this game? I don't think so, Kay (Adams). To answer your question firmly — no, they will not stop Lamar Jackson."
Peter Schrager doesn't see any NFL team — assuming that includes the 49ers — being able to figure out a way to stop Jackson this season.
"This is the game of the year," said Kyle Brandt. "Super Bowl preview, fine. I think it's a mid-season Super Bowl. This is unbelievable. And can anybody stop Lamar? Probably not."
Kay Adams has been impressed by the 49ers defense so far and views it as the group most likely capable of stopping Jackson.
"If they can't stop Lamar, no one's going to," Adams noted. "I'm ready to say that."
Click here to watch the entire Good Morning Football segment.
