3 Keys to a Broncos Victory Over Ravens

Here's how the Denver Broncos come out on top in Baltimore.

Led by quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, the Baltimore Ravens have the NFL's most productive offense through the season's first six weeks, averaging over 453 yards per game. / Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the Denver Broncos started the season 0-2, there was a collective ‘here we go again’ sigh from a fan base that’s endured seven consecutive losing seasons. 

Yet, here we are at the beginning of November, and rookie quarterback Bo Nix has led Denver to a 5-3 record, winning five of the last six games. In Week 9’s matchup, the Broncos begin a two-week road trip against the 5-3 Baltimore Ravens. 

Both teams are currently in second place within their respective divisions as the postseason race in the AFC tightens this Sunday in Baltimore. The NFL regular season is already at the midpoint with the postseason racing forward. 

The Ravens are still reeling from a 29-24 upset loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, while the Broncos are surging from a dominant career game from Nix amid a 28-14 drumming of the Carolina Panthers. 

Denver is listed as a heavy underdog by most sportsbooks. The gambling wise guys aren’t giving the Broncos much of a chance against Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Lamar Jackson. 

But surely this matchup is poised for great action with CBS designating its premier announcing crew with Tony Romo and Jim Nantz for the big game, the first time in five years that the Broncos have drawn this star-studded crew.

What will it take for Denver to come out on top? Let’s sift through three keys to what would be the Broncos’ biggest win of the season against a talented and dangerous Ravens team.

Stack Up Hits on Banged Up Lamar

Jackson suffered a brutal loss in Cleveland last week with rumblings of the two-time MVP being in discomfort in the postgame locker room.  The 6-foot-2, 205-pound playmaker has been an iron man in his career and hasn’t missed a game due to injury in two seasons. But this week, Jackson missed two consecutive days of practice due to a back and knee injury. 

A seventh-year veteran, Jackson is credited with 2,099 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, with two interceptions this season. He’s also credited with 501 rushing yards, and two more scores, and 25 first downs on the ground. Suffice it to say, Jackson is the straw that stirs the Ravens drink, and Baltimore will most likely suit up with No. 8 as QB1 against Denver’s defense on Sunday. 

The Broncos defense will be waiting for Jackson in a proverbial meeting of the rubber and the road. Denver currently allows the fewest yards per play (4.4) this season, while the Ravens have earned the most yards per play (7.1), foreshadowing an intriguing matchup for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

Denver’s defense is among the league’s best in nearly every category, including points allowed per game (third), yards allowed per game (third), and sacks (second). The Broncos are also top five in points differential this season (+53), continuing to find a nose for the football defensively, putting up points, and gifting the ball back to Nix and Sean Payton’s offense. 

Expect the Broncos’ furious pass rush to continue its aggression while containing the edge on the line of scrimmage. Defensive end Zach Allen has been on a tear on a defense that has featured 12 separate players recording at least a half-sack this season. 

While some debate the traditional defensive spy to contain Jackson, others suggest that you make him beat you with his arm, not his legs. But they’re missing the point, for this week at least. 

The best way to alter Jackson’s ability to play banged up is by delivering an abundance of legal hits, tackles, and pressures. We’ve seen the frustration take over when it appears that Jackson is shouldering the offensive load, so have at it, boys.

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Exploit a Vulnerable Ravens Defense 

Nix enters Week 9’s matchup in Baltimore as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month for October, a feat that only two players in franchise history have ever earned. In his last four games played, the No. 12 overall pick out of Oregon has posted 1,019 total yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns, with one interception. It led to a 3-1 record for Denver in October.

Meanwhile, Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr is in his first season as the defensive play-caller after Mike Macdonald’s departure to become head coach in Seattle. But this isn’t the same Baltimore defense that we’re accustomed to seeing, as Orr’s unit continues to flounder in the pass-rush department. 

On average, opposing quarterbacks have 3.96 seconds to throw the football on third-and-long scenarios, the worst for any team in the last decade. Baltimore’s defense is responsible for 24 sacks in eight games, but opposing QBs aren’t feeling the pressure that the Ravens were once renowned for. 

The Broncos offensive line will face familiar names like Kyle Van Noy, who leads the team with seven sacks, and Yannick Ngakoue (1.5), as the Ravens defense currently produces pressure approximately 26% of the time. 

One of the biggest improvements made by Nix on a weekly basis has been his quick release and decision-making, which yielded three passing touchdowns and a rushing score, with no interceptions – a franchise record — in his performance last week against the Panthers. In October, Nix was sacked seven times through four games, presenting himself as a particularly tricky rookie to get ahold of.

Therefore, Nix ought to be unleashed against the Ravens both in the pocket and on the ground as a dual-threat QB, an embarrassment of riches that Denver is still getting used to. Team captain Courtland Sutton is also coming off a career game with 100 receiving yards on eight receptions, which should make him a viable option in the medium and deep passing attack against a Ravens secondary that allows almost 300 yards passing per game. 

Payton would also be wise to continue utilizing the tight end position after Nix connected with three against the Panthers for a combined seven receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. It was a great way to celebrate National Tight End Day.

Remember the Broncos boast a 3-1 away record as Nix furthers his development in a Broncos offense that’s playing a Ravens defense at the right time, though it won’t be easy.

Dethrone King Henry

Ravens starting running back Derrick Henry isn’t built in the traditional mold at 6-foot-2 and 247 pounds, nor should he be as productive on his second-NFL team at age 30.

The ninth-year veteran has already logged 946 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 6.5 yards per carry in just eight games played, and will be leaned on offensively as Jackson contends with his knee and back injuries. 

Henry is currently on pace for another 2,000-yard season and leads the league in rushing by approximately 200 yards. While he’ll almost certainly reach the 1,000-yard mark on Sunday against the Broncos, Henry will prepare to face the most physical and challenging opponent thus far.

The Broncos’ run defense currently allows 106.4 yards per game because it plays together from the defensive trenches to the linebackers filling holes and defensive backs making tackles on the perimeter. The Broncos have consistently proven that their true strength lies in their depth and with numbers, which will be the determining factor in Henry’s performance this Sunday. 

Henry has made a human highlight reel with his angry runs, stiff arms, and ability to run over would-be tacklers and defenders. This man makes a habit of tossing defensive linemen to the side when presented with half-hearted arm tackles, improper leverage, and poor angles. 

Henry will rip off a big run or two, and at times, he'll cause some confusion and frustration to his opponents. The key to stopping Henry will first be gap integrity, patience, and team tackling. 

In Jackson and Henry, the Broncos have to defend against two former Heisman Trophy winners. If the Broncos can turn the Ravens' offensive playbook inside out by taking away the very rushing attack they lean on, the responsibility to win the game will fall on the injured Jackson. 

Denver’s defensive dogs should be foaming at the mouth already. 

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