Baltimore Ravens: Studs and duds from gritty win vs. 49ers
Stud: Marlon Humphrey
The Ravens defensive backs have been big-time for much of the 2019 season, at least when healthy. When their defense was very much struggling earlier in the year, Jimmy Smith was banged up and they had not yet traded for Marcus Peters. Since that time, though, the secondary has been a strength. The constant bright spot, though, has been Marlon Humphrey and he shined again on Sunday.
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Humphrey was all over the field in coverage and, perhaps more importantly, with making sure-handed tackles. The Ravens corner led the team with seven tackles on the day, including a couple that stopped the Niners from getting a first down. Humphrey is putting forth a Pro-Bowl worthy season in 2019 and this was another notch in his belt.
Dud: Marquise Brown
If there was one matchup where the Baltimore Ravens pass-catchers seemingly had an advantage, it was rookie Marquise Brown matching up against the zone defense of the 49ers. Not only does his speed go unmatched against San Francisco’s group of defensive backs but he seemingly would be able to find seams in the zone and make plays.
Instead, Hollywood was a virtual non-factor against the 49ers. He came up with just one catch for one yard on two targets for the game. The youngster failed to show off his physical gifts in a matchup that favored him. And really, that’s been the story for the Oklahoma product for much of this season. He’s flashed his immense potential at times but has also disappointed at others. This performance fell in the latter category.