The 49ers’ most daunting matchup of the year is also their most unfamiliar.  They square off with the red-hot Baltimore Ravens and their MVP candidate quarterback Lamar Jackson.

San Francisco’s answered essentially every challenge this season, but the Ravens and their run-heavy attack spearheaded by the electric Jackson is extremely unique. We wanted to get some more info on the AFC’s No. 2 seed, so we went to our friend Matthew Stevens over at the Ravens Wire.

He answered a few questions for us about the Ravens’ high-octane offense, and their suddenly stingy defense.

Niners Wire: You’ve been tasked with stopping the Ravens offense — what’s the first thing you try and do?

MS: I think you have to stop Lamar Jackson. That means good contain on the edges and interior pressure to keep him inside the pocket and shrink it on him. That should keep him from absolutely killing you with his legs. But that still means you have to stop the interior power run game from Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards. Or the quick passing attack. Or the deep passing attack if Jackson gets any time and you leave someone like Marquise Brown one-on-one.

Ultimately, a defense has to have top-notch play in the secondary so you can leave guys on an island and commit more players to stopping the run. Few defenses have the capability of doing that but the ones that do can force Jackson to beat him with his arm and limited passing attempts. Still a tough task given how he’s played but in a few games earlier this season Jackson has some mediocre games.

NW: Baltimore is allowing 11.5 PPG since their bye week three weeks ago.What’s been the key to their sudden defensive dominance?

MS: There isn’t just one key but a bunch of new additions. Since Week 4, Baltimore has added six new players, either street free agents or the trade for cornerback Marcus Peters. Those six additions have all been impact players or outright starters at positions where the Ravens were seeing awful play, patching up the few holes they had. However, I’ll point to linebackers L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes as the difference makers here. Bynes got his first start in Week 5, just days after being signed, and had an interception. Both Bynes and Fort have played significantly better than the guys they replaced and solidified a linebacker corps that was downright awful early in the season. In turn, that allowed Baltimore defensive coordinator Don Martindale to throw more guys into the secondary and be more creative with how he schemes pressure, improving those areas.

Now with Peters and Jimmy Smith in the lineup at cornerback in addition to Marlon Humphrey and safety Earl Thomas, the secondary is on point. With the way the offense has been playing, it’s allowed the secondary to be more aggressive and net more takeaways.

NW: Who’s the most dangerous Raven on offense not named Lamar?

MS: I’d say running back Mark Ingram. Saying he’s difficult to tackle would be an understatement and there are plenty of Los Angeles Rams players probably sporting bruises from him running over them last week. He brings the power to an offense that could easily find themselves getting too cute and finesse for their own good with Jackson at the helm. By the third quarter, defenses feel what Ingram has done to them and they just don’t have the will or energy to try and chase Jackson around the field, giving way to even more points.

NW: How big of a loss is C Matt Skura?

MS: It’s a big one honestly. Skura had been playing really well, even though he was probably their fourth best offensive lineman. But whenever you lose a starting center, things are going to get downgraded. Centers make the protection calls and they’re the guys that touch the ball on literally every play. You can’t shove someone new in there and expect the level of play to stay the same either in the run game or throwing the ball. While his replacement, Patrick Mekari, played well last week when Skura went down, I’d expect the 49ers to test him for all 60 minutes.

NW: What’s your prediction for Sunday?

MS: As I’ve seen all season long, teams just can’t really contain Lamar Jackson and this rushing attack. And after a few punches in the mouth early, defenses tend to overcommit in an attempt to slow it down, opening up the passing attack. While San Francisco sports an amazing defense, I don’t think they have one player who can go toe-to-toe with Jackson without help. The second more defenders keep their eyes in the backfield, Baltimore has won that battle.

The 49ers are easily the toughest opponent the Ravens have faced this season but Jackson and kicker Justin Tucker are the edge here. Baltimore wins 34-27