Baltimore @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 7, 2014 ) San Francisco 3, Baltimore 23

The San Francisco 49ers look to end their four-game losing streak when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
San Francisco easily handled Minnesota at home in its season opener before allowing a combined 90 points in losses at Pittsburgh and Arizona.

The 49ers then limited Green Bay to 17 points in a home defeat and appeared on their way to halting the slide last week at New York, taking a four-point lead on Carlos Hyde's 2-yard rushing touchdown with 1:49 to play, but yielded a scoring pass by Eli Manning with 26 seconds remaining en route to a 30-27 setback. Baltimore is coming off its second straight overtime contest, a 33-30 loss to Cleveland in which it squandered a 12-point lead in the second half and allowed Josh McCown to throw for 457 yards. Justin Forsett, who rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown, injured his ankle late in the game but is expected to play against the 49ers. San Francisco's pass defense wasn't much better last week, permitting Manning to throw for 441 yards.

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Ravens -2. O/U: 44

ABOUT THE RAVENS (1-4): Baltimore's defense was bitten hard by the injury bug last week as Lardarius Webb suffered a torn ACL that landed him on injured reserve. Fellow cornerback Will Davis (thigh) and linebacker Elvis Dumervil (groin) also went down and are questionable to face San Francisco. The offense could get back two weapons, however, as receiver Steve Smith (back) and tight end Crockett Gillmore (calf) participated in practice on Wednesday.

ABOUT THE 49ERS (1-4): San Francisco also expects its tight end to return as Vernon Davis is likely to play after missing two games with a knee injury. He could provide a boost to a team that ranks last in scoring (15 points per game) and 29th in total offense (307.2 yards). The defense has struggled just as much of late, allowing averages of 446.5 yards and 34.3 points during the club's skid.

EXTRA POINTS

1. San Francisco ranks 31st in the NFL with an average of 406.8 yards allowed.

2. Baltimore signed CB Shareece Wright, who was released by the 49ers last week.

3. The teams are meeting for the first time since Baltimore posted a 34-31 victory in Super Bowl XLVII.

PREDICTION: Ravens 27, 49ers 23