BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos have come a long way since starting the season 0-2.
How they've done it is quite a contrast — Lamar Jackson and the Ravens with their dynamic offense, and the Broncos by pressuring quarterbacks and making it tough for opponents to score.
That's the matchup — Baltimore's offense against Denver's defense — that will be in the spotlight Sunday when the Ravens host the Broncos. Each team has won five of its last six games to recover nicely from a slow start.
“As the season progresses, obviously the games begin to gain more significance,” Denver coach Sean Payton said. “Certainly this will be our toughest challenge to date by far. This is a real, real good football team.”
Baltimore (5-3) is averaging an NFL-best 452 yards per game. Derrick Henry leads the league in rushing by a wide margin, and Jackson is No. 1 in passer rating. The Ravens have big-play threats and have been efficient in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 25 of their 33 trips.
The Broncos (5-3) have held six of their eight opponents under 20 points, and they rank second in the league in sacks.
“Their guys are really active, they play hard. That’s one thing you see on film,” Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “They’ve done a great job of building the core personalities of the players they’ve got playing on the field — I think that’s impressive, how hard they play and schematically how they challenge you with their pressure package.”
Jackson has been sharp against the blitz this season, and he returned to practice Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday with back and knee issues. There wasn't any sign of a major physical problem for Jackson during last weekend's game at Cleveland.
The Browns won that one 29-24 to snap Baltimore's five-game winning streak. The Ravens trail Pittsburgh in the AFC North by one game. Denver is second in the AFC West behind unbeaten Kansas City.
The Broncos’ three October victories were blowouts. They beat the Raiders 34-18, the Saints 33-10 and the Panthers 28-14.
Now comes the hard part.
The Broncos’ next two games are at Baltimore and Kansas City and the outcomes could go a long way in determining if Denver is a legitimate playoff threat, something the team hasn’t been since the Peyton Manning era.
“I just think we’re very prepared mentally,” cornerback Patrick Surtain II said. “Just going throughout the midst of the season, things that we overcome. Obviously, we know the challenge at hand these next couple of weeks. This time of the year is very critical, as far as getting to that next step, to that next stage, and we’re prepared for this opportunity. We know what the road ahead looks like and we just have to keep on building the building blocks and set us up for success at the end of the day.”
The Ravens added another threat to their offense this week by trading for receiver Diontae Johnson.
“He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s got great hands. An explosive player,” coach John Harbaugh said. "You take those talents, and you fit him into what you’re doing, and let’s roll.”
Rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele are starting to carve out bigger roles in Denver’s offense.
“Those are young players that are growing right in front of our eyes. We talk a lot about Bo’s growth, but there are other younger players that are getting experience,” Payton said, referring to rookie quarterback Bo Nix. “I think that’s important, and they’ve handled it well.”
The Ravens have become the fourth team to score at least 20 points with at least 375 total yards in each of their first eight games, joining the 2000 Rams, 2007 Patriots and 2013 Broncos. The Patriots and Broncos both reached the Super Bowl.
Aside from Jackson, the big question for the Ravens this week has been the health of their struggling defense. Cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (knee) and Nate Wiggins (shoulder/illness) have been limited this week, although Wiggins was back to full participation in practice Thursday. Defensive linemen Brent Urban (concussion), Travis Jones (ankle) and Broderick Washington (knee) all missed at least some practice time. Urban has been ruled out for Sunday.
Safety P.J. Locke (thumb) and tackle Mike McGlinchey (knee) are the only two Broncos with injuries of note. Locke was ruled out.
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