BALTIMORE—It’s time to find out how the Denver Broncos react to a defeat.
If they’re fortunate, they’ll bounce back in the same fashion the Baltimore Ravens did after losing three in a row.
The Ravens dropped Denver from the ranks of the unbeaten in embarrassing fashion Sunday, dominating virtually all facets of the game in a 30-7 rout.
“We were outcoached and outplayed basically in every phase,” Denver rookie coach Josh McDaniels said after absorbing his first defeat as a head coach.
Baltimore’s three losses came by a total of 11 points. In danger of falling under .500 and out of the AFC North race, the Ravens (4-3) responded with a dominating effort.
“We know we’re capable of doing this kind of thing,” said Joe Flacco, who went 20 for 25 for 175 yards and a touchdown. “We had a chance in the other games. Today we finished. That’s why we won.”
The Broncos (6-1) came in with the NFL’s top-ranked defense, a plus-7 turnover differential and one of the league’s best kick returners in Eddie Royal. Denver had also outscored the opposition 76-10 after halftime.
In this one, however, the Ravens played better defense, outperformed Denver’s special teams and controlled the second half from the outset.
And so, for the first time since McDaniels replaced Mike Shanahan, the Broncos have to rebound from a loss. Their next game is Nov. 9 against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We got eight days now to get ready for the Steelers,” McDaniels said. “They’re going to be eight hard days, good days, hopefully. We can find out just as much about one another, and your team and your staff, through adversity of a loss as you can through six wins. We’re going to find out how we respond.”
Denver started the day as one of three unbeaten teams in the NFL and was trying to go 7-0 for the first time since 1998. Baltimore needed a win to avoid falling under .500 and dropping two games behind Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the division.
In a duel between an undefeated team and a desperate one, the Ravens prevailed.
“They just did a better job of executing. Desperation had nothing to do with it,” Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said.
Baltimore held Royal in check, bottled up quarterback Kyle Orton and became the first team this season to rush for more than 100 yards against Denver.
“To lose like this is very hard to take,” Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan said, “but the Ravens outplayed us in every phase of the game. For the first time, we are facing adversity. So we will find out what we’re made of.”
Baltimore went up 13-0 when Lardarius Webb turned the second-half kickoff into his first NFL touchdown. After breaking free around his own 30, the speedy rookie cut right and outran his pursuers into the corner of the end zone.
“All 10 guys got their body on someone,” Webb said. “I just saw a hole and ran.”
The Broncos responded with an 86-yard march fueled by three Baltimore penalties totaling 44 yards. A 39-yard pass interference call on Domonique Foxworth and an offside by Ed Reed on a fourth-and-1 led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Knowshon Moreno.
The Ravens answered with a field goal for a 16-7 lead, then went up 23-7 on a 20-yard pass from Flacco to Derrick Mason with 13:07 left.
Ray Rice capped the blowout with a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:59 to go. Rice ran for 84 yards, the most by one player against Denver this season.
And now, the Ravens have some momentum heading into next week’s showdown against Cincinnati.
“Around the locker room it’s going to be more upbeat,” Foxworth said. “It’s amazing how winning heals all wounds.”
