Two Crucial Matchups Broncos Must Win vs. Ravens

The Denver Broncos have to come out on top with these two matchups.

Oct 3, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) scrambles with the ball in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens present a unique challenge to the Denver Broncos on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Ravens are probably the best team in the NFL with a complete game, as long as they don’t shoot themselves in the foot.

The Ravens defense was the team's pride and joy in the past, but it doesn't have a great pass rush. The Ravens boast the worst passing defense in the NFL while having one of the best units against the run. 

Both of the key matchups for this game come down to the quarterbacks. Let’s first look at Bo Nix against the Ravens' defense. 

Bo vs. the Baltimore Defense

The Ravens love to disguise what they're doing pre-snap, and they play tight zone coverage in the secondary, similar to some of the looks Nix has faced this season. Those games he faced tight zone have been some of his worst of the season, though.

Nix has more experience now, which can help him identify what the Ravens are doing and where to go with the ball. Helping him is how the Ravens defense often needs help executing correctly, leading to the worst passing defense in the NFL. 

Now, the Ravens play tight in coverage, allowing the league's lowest average of separation. Despite that, the Ravens have allowed the most passing yards per game, leading the second-highest team by 20.3 yards.

The Broncos should be able to move the ball, but a lack of dynamic playmakers could keep them from fully taking advantage of how bad this passing defense is. There are key Ravens to target in the passing game. The Broncos want to look to attack cornerback Brandon Stephens and linebacker Roquan Smith, who have combined to allow 749 of the 2,331 passing yards the Ravens have relinquished this season. 

It was nice to see Adam Trautman have the game he did against the Carolina Panthers, but he is unreliable, and the Broncos need a dynamic tight end who can take full advantage of Smith in coverage. So, the Broncos still want to work in the middle of the field but use their receivers on crossing routes. The Broncos will also want to get Courtland Sutton matched up on Stephens as much as possible to exploit him in coverage. 

The Ravens' issues at safety can also help the Broncos. Kyle Hamilton has had a great season, but their other safeties have been rough this year and can often be caught out of position. This creates more openings for the Nix and the Broncos' passing game to succeed. 

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Defense vs. Lamar Jackson

When it comes to defending Lamar Jackson, it wouldn’t be surprising to see coordinator Vance Joseph use rush linebackers Nik Bonitto or Baron Browning as a spy. However, it would probably be better to send them as pass rushers to generate pressure and try to force mistakes.

Jackson is a different type of runner than the other dual-threat quarterbacks Joseph has spied against previously. Playing catch-up with the angles vs. Jackson doesn’t work out well. Throughout his career, he has still done well when teams try to put a spy on him. 

The Broncos must also be ready for the Ravens’ passing game, as Jackson is having a great season. Baltimore's receivers do an excellent job getting open, and its roster is deep with man-beater-type receivers.

The Ravens also have the passing concepts to give them an extra boost. Jackson has struggled with a quicker passing game in previous years, but there have been significant improvements in that area this year. 

Jackson has the fifth-most passing yards, the best passer rating, the highest yards per attempt, the highest completion percentage, the second-highest EPA/dropback, and the fourth-lowest pressure rate on plays under 2.5 seconds. Last year, he was in the bottom half of those except for yards per attempt and pressure rate. With his improvements in executing a quicker passing game, they have an avenue to negate the Broncos' pass rush, but it is more than that. 

With how aggressive the Broncos defense is, the Ravens' quicker passing game could lead to them hitting the empty space early and taking advantage. So the Broncos will want to be careful of that and disguise their looks upfront because you don’t want them to stop being aggressive or blitzing. 

The Broncos blitz at the second-highest rate on the season, and Jackson has struggled against such onslaughts. The better the blitz is disguised, the worse it gets.

While Jackson has the seventh-highest passing yards, his passer rating is 12th, his completion percentage 17th, and his EPA/dropback 17th. Both of his interceptions have come against the blitz and under 2.5 seconds as he tried to force something quickly that wasn’t there. 

The Takeaway

A lot more can be examined, but stopping or slowing down Jackson is key for Joseph. Even if the Broncos manage that, they still have other aspects of the dynamic Ravens offense to worry about, like Derrick Henry. This is the most challenging task for Joseph and the Broncos this season and might be the toughest they'll face. 

The Broncos need to ensure Nix and the passing game can get going. This is a tough rushing defense, so getting things going on the ground may be difficult, but the passing game can help open things up.

If the Nix and the passing game can’t get going, especially against the worst passing defense in the NFL, then it could end up a long game with lingering concerns moving forward. 

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