LB Josh Bynes:

Bynes has played phenomenal football for Baltimore since joining the team right before Week 5. Though he doesn’t get nearly enough credit for helping the Ravens transform their defense seemingly overnight, folks in Baltimore know the deal. However, Bynes is going to have to have an excellent game this week if the Ravens wish to continue their winning streak.

The 49ers employ a similar style of offense as the Ravens. They believe in a heavy ground game that batters opposing defenses into submission and opens up throwing lanes for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. That means Baltimore is likely going to have to play more of their base defense.

In the base defense, Bynes will be asked to do quite a lot. He’ll have to scrape down to stuff the run at times while having to play coverage at others. In the cold weather with the rain and a physical offense, that is a serious chore for a guy that was on his couch for Week 4.

But much like Pierce, if Bynes can have a stellar game, it might allow defensive coordinator Don Martindale to get out of his base package a little more often where he can better scheme pressure and play more aggressive football. On the flip side, if Bynes struggles to stuff the run or in coverage, it’ll create an obvious weak spot for San Francisco to attack and will force Baltimore to scramble to fix it mid-game.