The San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens appear to be set on a Super Bowl collision course. They are the favorites to represent their conferences in Las Vegas in February.
The 49ers and Ravens met on Christmas night in a highly-anticipated primetime matchup. The result was a decisive 33-19 victory by the road-team Ravens. On Sunday, Baltimore hosted the Miami Dolphins in another much-hyped matchup. The Ravens dominated the Dolphins in a 56-19 rout.
This week, Rich Eisen asked Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen how his defense found so much success against the 49ers and Dolphins when so many other teams struggled against the high-powered offenses. The Ravens and Dolphins could also see each other again in the playoffs, so obviously, the defender didn't want to reveal too much.
"It's tells in what Miami does and what San Fran does that I can't say right now, just in case we have to see those guys again," Queen responded.
Pressed for details on these "tells," Queen opted to keep the Ravens' defensive strategies confidential, simply stating, "You just got to hit the guys for four quarters. That's it. And if it takes longer, do it for longer. It really just comes down to it's football. It's got to be a physical game. It's a physical sport."
Specifically discussing Brock Purdy, who faced challenges against the Ravens' defense on Christmas night with a career-high four interceptions, Queen conveyed his respect for the 49ers' second-year quarterback.
"He can make every throw on the field," Queen said. "He can make all the reads. And we just knew that if we could get pressure on him, and just keep the pocket on him, and not give him clear lanes to throw, that we could definitely affect him. ... But I still think he's a great quarterback.
"I still think he definitely should be in that running (for NFL MVP), for sure. I think [Ravens QB] Lamar [Jackson], obviously, should win it, but I think Brock Purdy still should be in that running."