Broncos vs. Ravens: Three Bold Predictions

Get ready for some aerial fireworks from Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos.

Sep 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) celebrates the win over against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos are hitting the toughest stretch of games this season, and it starts with a road trip to take on the Baltimore Ravens. These two teams are almost polar opposites.

The Ravens have a high-powered all-around offense with a defense that's solid against the run and poor against the pass, while the Broncos have a high-powered all-around defense with an inconsistent offense. If the Broncos are going to win this one, they need their passing offense to continue playing as it has the past few games, and their defense has to shut down the Ravens' offense. 

With that said, here are five bold predictions for Broncos-Ravens.

Broncos Passing Game Steps Up

Three of the Broncos' best passing days have come over the past three games. Those three games came against three bottom-10 defenses in passing yards allowed per game, EPA/Pass, and passing yards per play. The Broncos have taken advantage of bad passing defenses, which bodes well for this game. 

While the Ravens typically boast a great passing defense led by a great pass rush, that isn’t the case this year. They're giving up the most passing yards per game, leading the next worst team by 20.3 yards, and are bottom 10 in EPA/Pass and pass yards per play.

The Ravens have the eighth-lowest pressure rate. However, they have faced the second-highest rate of passing this season with the most passing plays against them. That drops Baltimore's rate down as it has the ninth-most pressures this season. And when the Ravens get pressure, it often leads to sacks, having the fifth-most sacks in the NFL. 

Bo Nix and the Broncos can get the passing game going. The offensive line, which has held up well all season, will continue to do so in Baltimore. The Broncos can move the ball through the air and even generate points. 

Prediction: Nix breaks 300 passing yards with three total touchdowns. 

Broncos Run Game M.I.A.

What the Ravens do well defensively is stop the run, and the Broncos have been maddeningly inconsistent in getting theirs going. The Broncos struggled to run the ball against the worst rushing defense in the NFL last week.

Sure, the Broncos broke 100 rushing yards with 102 on the day, but the Carolina Panthers made it one of their most inefficient days, averaging 3.5 yards per rush. It was Denver's second-worst day in EPA/Rush, and its third-worst day in success rate.

That came against the worst rushing defense in the NFL, and the Broncos are about to face one of the best. There are many issues with the Ravens' passing defense, but stopping the run remains a strength.

The Broncos keep teams to the league's lowest rushing average of 69.9 yards per game while having the fourth-highest run stuff rate and EPA/Rush. While the Ravens are beaten up on the defensive line, they've shown the ability to rotate people in and still successfully defend the run. 

Prediction: Broncos are held to their lowest rushing total from their running backs this season. 

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Broncos Keep Lamar Jackson in Check

The matchup between the Ravens offense and the Broncos defense is a battle of the best vs. the best. While the Ravens have the best and most complete offense in the NFL, the Broncos have that on the defensive side.

This is the matchup of the week across the NFL. There is success on both sides, but the Broncos defense will do a better job against the Ravens offense than any team so far this season. 

The Ravens lead the league in total yards per game, second in points per game, and second in EPA/Play. Baltimore's worst game this season was 383 total yards of offense against the Las Vegas Raiders, while the Broncos' worst defensive day allowed 350 total yards of offense to the Los Angeles Chargers.

In this matchup, the Broncos keep the Ravens in check but also have their worst day regarding yards allowed.  

Prediction: The Broncos hold the Ravens between 351 and 382 yards of offense. 

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