When the 11-3 Ravens visit the 11-3 49ers on Christmas night, it will be a very rare late-season meeting of the teams with the NFL’s best records.
It’s the first time since the end of the 1993 season that the two teams tied for the best record in the NFL faced off in Week 16 or later. That year, the Cowboys and Giants were both 11-4 when they met in the regular-season finale.
That game at the end of the 1993 season is remembered primarily for the performance of Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, who had 32 carries for 168 yards and 10 catches for 61 yards despite playing with a separated shoulder. The Cowboys won to earn home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs and would go on to win the Super Bowl.
Football fans can only hope for a game that great on Christmas night, when Week 16 of this NFL season concludes with the top two teams in the league squaring off.