Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver take on the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.
Live updates
FINAL | Ravens 41, Broncos 10
D.J. Jones minced no words.
The Broncos defensive lineman had a bottom-line thought for a bottom-line business after a bad day at the office and delivered it with Lamar Jackson-like efficiency.
“We got our asses whooped,” Jones said. “We got whooped.”
Indeed, Denver did. By a count of 41-10 against Jackson, the two-time MVP, and a Baltimore outfit that out-classed the Broncos in all three phases and in the coaching department, too. Read Parker Gabriel’s full game analysis.
MORE BRONCOS COVERAGE
- PHOTOS: Denver Broncos run over by Baltimore Ravens 41-10 in NFL Week 9.
- Broncos WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey takes blame after Bo Nix’s early interception caromed off his hands: “Itap a mistake on me.”
- Broncos report card: A no good, very bad day for Denver’s defense in blowout loss to Baltimore.
- Bo Nix Watch: Denver’s rookie QB had some moments, but not nearly enough to beat Baltimore.
- Broncos Four Downs: Bo Nix becomes triple threat, but offensive mistakes continue to plague Denver.
- WATCH: Broncos’ Courtland Sutton throws touchdown to Bo Nix against Ravens.
Fourth-quarter updates
Just short (1:57 p.m.): Fourth-and-goal, Bo Nix connects with Courtland Sutton who was a yard out from the end zone. Ravens ball. — Nguyen
Can’t take him down (1:47 p.m.): Audric Estime with a nice run there. Picked up 21 yards when most of the Ravens defense looked like they thought he was already down. — Nguyen
Mic check (1:43 p.m.): Pretty sure the boom mic caught a Ravens fans yelling at the Broncos that “you’re not in Tampa.” — Schubert
How bad is the NFC South? — Keeler
Bad day (1:39 p.m.): For those who might be looking for kerosene to set their Broncos jersey on fire, some perspective on this blowout: Yes, there remains a wide gap between Denver and the best of the best in the AFC. But the Broncos will leave Baltimore with a 5-4 record and the playoffs still very much a possibility just past the mid-point of what’s supposed to be a rebuilding year. A bad day at the office? You bet. But nobody had this game as a W back in August. — Schubert
Fourth-and-no (1:33 p.m.): Bo Nix overthrows Courtland Sutton on fourth-and-goal. Baltimore ball. — Nguyen
Broncos go 1 for 4 on fourth down in Ravens territory. — Schubert
Red zone (1:30 p.m.): Denver’s driving. Even if they score, it’s too little, too late at this point. — Nguyen
Field goal, Ravens (1:21 p.m.): Justin Tucker with the 37-yard field goal. Ravens 41, Broncos 10 with 12:49 to go. — Nguyen
Third-quarter analysis — Ravens 38, Broncos 10
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Ravens went from 17-10 to 38-10 in a stretch where the Broncos ran four plays for -2 yards.
- TD before the half, Denver took a knee
- TD to open the third quarter, Denver went three-and-out
- TD drive again.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Back to the Little Kids Table with you, Broncos.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: Broncos wanted to fight a contender, and they showed they were not ready for the step in weight class.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: Luckily, all the Broncos have to do is go to Kansas City next week.
Third-quarter updates
Another three-and-out (1:13 p.m.): Back-to-back three-and-outs for the Denver offense. — Nguyen
Best? (1:13 p.m.): The counting stats said the Broncos defense was one of the best in the NFL.
No matter how important you think P.J. Locke is, they’ve not looked like that at all today. — Schubert
Touchdown, Ravens (1:07 p.m.): Lamar Jackson to Patrick Ricard for the 3-yard touchdown. Ravens 38, Broncos 10 with 1:21 left in the third quarter. — Nguyen
We’re about done here. — Gabriel
Another relatively drama-free march down the field for the Ravens offense, this time punctuated by a Lamar Jackson touchdown pass to Patrick Ricard, and this one is over. It’s 38-10 with 1:21 left in the third quarter, and the Broncos have been thoroughly outclassed coming out of the locker room. — Schubert
Ravens just toying with Broncos now. Jackson has 20 TDs — not all today, though it feels like it — with 2 INTs this season after a toss to 300-pound fullback. He will leave as clear MVP frontrunner. Broncos stepped up in weight class and took fist to the face. But they can learn from this. Can’t turn ball over, can’t miss easy TDs, and can’t play much longer without P.J. Locke. — Renck
Hard to stop (1:04 p.m.): Zay Flowers is nearing a career-high in receiving. Ravens are impossible to slow down when not one dimensional. — Renck
Down big (1 p.m.): Broncos have 22 minutes of being down big and having to tackle Derrick Henry ahead of them. That sounds… not fun at all. — Gabriel
Three-and-out (12:57 p.m.): Broncos do nothing with their first possession of the second half, and the Ravens can deliver a no-doubt kill shot with another TD on this next drive. — Schubert
Touchdown, Ravens (12:50 p.m.): Derrick Henry rumbles into the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown. Ravens 31, Broncos 10 with 9:36 to go in the third quarter. — Nguyen
Broncos just got a heavy dose of Derrick Henry, and that might be game. Denver is just not built to come back from a 21-point deficit. — Schubert
Ravens have 31 points in 35 minutes of football. Henry eclipsed 1,000 yards for season. And has two TDs in this game. Giving up the TD before the half was the back breaker with Ravens getting ball first in third. 31-10 Broncos trail. — Renck
Big man run (12:47 p.m.): Derrick Henry just broke free for a 20-yard run. That gives him 60 yards on the day and 1,006 on the year. — Nguyen
First down (12:46 p.m.): Lamar is too good. — McFadden
Watching Lamar Jackson run is mesmerizing. Covered games with Michael Vick. He was amazing. There’s never been a QB run like Lamar. — Renck
Halftime analysis — Ravens 24, Broncos 10
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: This is the bind Lamar Jackson puts you in. The Broncos’ best defensive attribute is their ability to play a ton of man coverage. But if you play man against Lamar, he’s looking at turned backs and running wild. If you play zone, like the Broncos have been forced to do today, he identifies the weak spot and picks you apart.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Lamar Jackson might be the best player in the world. Denver is down two touchdowns, but the score could be worse. Defense hasn’t been able to stop this high powered Ravens offense. At the same time, the Broncos have shot themselves in the foot multiple times. Four holding penalties in the first half (three on defense, one on Bolles, negating a touchdown run), and not converting on the first two fourth downs. When playing teams like the Ravens, you have to almost be perfect. The Broncos have not.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Et tu, VJ? Ravens get the ball to start the third quarter, so that last quickie really, really, REALLY hurt. “Holding, No. 72” is a golden oldie I used to hear on the radio all the time … and the years haven’t improved it. On the plus side, the Broncos can score 25-28 today, especially given this Baltimore secondary. Unfortunately, they’re going to need 40 points to win this thing. Or more. Tough ask.
Bonus takeaway: The Ravens are so, so, so, so NOT the Panthers. You either step up or get stepped on.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: Broncos inability to keep Lamar Jackson in the pocket has haunted them. He extends plays, forces tackles in space, and makes corners and safeties uncomfortable in coverage. Zay Flowers has killed Broncos. He has 111 yards and two receiving TDs in a game for the first time in his career. Flowers only needs 23 yards receiving for a new career-high. … And as well as Bo Nix has played — he’s been the Broncos best player — the missed TD to Troy Franklin on fourth-and-four looms large.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: The Broncos offense has looked competent. Courtland Sutton has cemented his status as the greatest passer in franchise history … and Denver is trailing by two touchdowns because Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers are two very special players.
Second-quarter updates
Touchdown, Ravens (12:24 p.m.): Well, that was fast. Lamar Jackson finds a wide-open Zay Flowers in the center of the field. He then goes 53 yards for the score. Ravens 24, Broncos 10 with 16 seconds to go in the half. — Nguyen
Devon Key misses a tackle on Zay Flowers and that’s all it takes. Despite all of the positives on offense, the Broncos are going to go into halftime down 14 points. — Schubert
The Broncos miss P.J. Locke something fierce. — Gabriel
Broncos defense has biggest lapse since the third quarter vs. Seahawks. Zay Flowers is killing Broncos. Devon Key has to tackle Flowers on that play. He goes for 53 yards. Ravens went 70 yards in 38 seconds. Broncos trail 24-10. Broncos give up 16 points per game. … The step up in weight class is real. … — Renck
Field goal, Broncos (12:19 p.m.): Wil Lutz nails the 37-yard field goal. Ravens 17, Broncos 10 with 54 seconds to go. — Nguyen
Bolles bear hugs Hamilton, negating 9-yard TD run by Nix. That is two TDs that vanished. Nix had Franklin wide open for 6 earlier in the game. And Bolles’ penalty takes Nix’s rushing TD off the board. Broncos trail 17-10. But they have left agonizing points on the field. — Renck
Broncos get a field goal but leave the Ravens :54 and a timeout to work with after the Bolles hold and subsequent third-down incompletion.
17-10, Baltimore. Ravens have a chance to add and start the second half with the ball. — Gabriel
Broncos hanging in there, trail 17-10 with 54 seconds left in half. But have turned the ball over on an INT and twice on downs. Offense will be kicking itself at halftime. But… in past they would have been down 20-0… They are showing can take a punch and fight back. Can they play cleaner in second half? — Renck
Holding (12:18 p.m.): REALLY bad hold from Garret Bolles. If he can’t block a safety, the Broncos got problems.
Garett Bolles has to be able to handle Kyle Hamilton on that negated touchdown run. — Schubert
Burton time (12:16 p.m.): Any time you can dial up a Mike Burton hand off + spin move, you (apparently) have to do it. — Gabriel
200 (12:15 p.m.): Nix is closing in on 200 yards of total offense in half as passer, runner and receiver. — Renck
Bad defense (12:14 p.m.): Ravens pass defense has been bad enough for Bo Nix and the offense to stay in this game. However, it’s hard to slow down Lamar Jackson and company. — McFadden
Big gain (12:09 p.m.): Bo Nix connected with Courtland Sutton for a 33-yard gain. — Nguyen
Courtland Sutton putting together another WR1 kind of game. — Schubert
Nix and Sutton are two-man show. Man if this team had a true No. 1 receiver. And a true No. 1 back. And a true No. 1 TE, this offense could be special. — Renck
Since that 0-target outing at New Orleans, Courtland Sutton has 11 catches for 169 yards in less than six quarters.
(Plus a pair of completions and a passing TD, of course.) — Gabriel
Touchdown, Ravens (12:04 p.m.): Lamar Jackson is dicing up Denver’s secondary today. He throws a 7-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers, extending Baltimore’s lead to 17-7. — McFadden
Zay Flowers is giving the Broncos lots of problems. Especially when Lamar Jackson can work the pocket for that long. — Schubert
Can’t cover for that long. That play is what makes Lamar Jackson so special. You can’t sack him. And when he buys that much time, you can’t cover WR. Ravens lead 17-7. Jackson has 18 TDs and 2 INTs this season as favorite to win his third MVP award. — Renck
Lamar Jackson is providing Bo Nix with a template for what he could almost, sorta, kinda look like 3-4 years from now if he hits his ceiling. This is why you want an athlete at QB. — Schubert
The Ravens are built to win 34-30 kinda games. Which, if you’re an old man, feels weird to type. (These Broncos, right now, are … not built that way.) — Keeler
Big gain (12:02 p.m.): Lamar Jackson is special.
Almost nothing Jonah Elliss can do there. — Schubert
Elliss held his own. But putting an edge rusher in coverage downfield is not ideal. Haven’t seen one pull it off since Von Miller. — Renck
Lamar Jackson hits Justice Hill for a 24-yard completion with Jonah Elliss in coverage. Denver was doomed from the jump on that play. — McFadden
Bo knows (11:59 a.m.): Bo Nix has recorded a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown this season. The ultimate weapon. — McFadden
Courtland Sutton (11:59 a.m.): Courtland Sutton’s lifetime NFL passer rating just jumped from 118.7 to 158.3. — Keeler
Sutton is 4-for-4 for 84 yards and a TD in his career, including 2-for-2 for 2 for 30 yards this season. — Renck
Touchdown, Broncos (11:54 a.m.): Bo Nix hands it off to Javonte Williams who tosses it to Courtland Sutton who throws it to Bo Nix for a touchdown. Ravens, 10, Broncos 7 with 7:15 to go in the half. — Nguyen
The get tricky!
Courtland Sutton throws it to Bo Nix for the TD!
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Sean Payton believes in Bo Nix. And himself. But mostly himself. What a call. — Keeler
Sean Payton was crazy for that call. — McFadden
Broncos worked that trick play in Friday’s walkthrough and hit it in a clutch red zone situation. Nix hands off to Williams who flips it to Sutton who throws it to Nix for a TD on fourth-and-goal. — Gabriel
Oh my word. Ran the Philly special. It wasn’t that special. Nix shows he might be team’s second-best WR behind Sutton. Sutton is now 4-for-4 on pass attempts. Holy heck. Bo Nix WR1…. Broncos trail 10-7. Helps when QB is one team’s best athletes.
So if counting at home. Bo Nix is QB1, RB1 and WR2… — Renck
As I’ve been saying all week: Bo Nix jump balls in the red zone. Forever. — Schubert
PI (11:52 a.m.): Pass interference doesn’t get much more obvious than that. Ravens didn’t even bother arguing. — Schubert
Say this for Sean: When he smells blood, he goes RIGHT AT THE WOUND. Baltimore, it’s corners. Carolina, it was … well, everything. — Keeler
Run, Bo, run (11:51 a.m.): The Bo Show works best when he uses his legs. Looked like he shook the spy on that play for first down. — Renck
Bo Nix put Roquan Smith in the blender on that third-down run. — Gabriel
Oregon connection (11:50 a.m.): Bo Nix with a dart to Troy Franklin and the Broncos are in business. Fourth-down failures aside, this offense has looked pretty competent. — Schubert
Nix shows his improvement with his footwork. He wasn’t making this throw over middle earlier in the season. Better mechanics. Better results. And pocket has been clean today. Nix is 9-for-12 for 113 yards. — Renck
Broncos haven’t got a ton going in the run game today but their OL is balling in pass pro. Bo Nix has had time to throw just about every time he’s dropped back. — Gabriel
Driving (11:49 a.m.): This feels like an important time to get a couple of first downs for the Broncos offense. — Gabriel
Self-inflicted wounds (11:46 a.m.): Broncos have hurt themselves so far today. They are 0 for 2 on fourth down, have gifted the Ravens short field position multiple times, penalties and explosive plays. The Broncos are lucky they are only down 10-0. — McFadden
Field goal, Ravens (11:43 a.m.): Big stand for the Broncos defense, thanks in part to a busted play for Baltimore. A 10-point deficit just does not feel as bad as 14-0 for some reason. — Schubert
Looked like complete communication breakdown on speed option. Henry went up the middle and Lamar was looking to pitch to him. Bonitto gets huge tackle for loss and effectively ends drive. Broncos trail 10-0. Broncos haven’t punted yet. So there’s that. I kid because I care. — Renck
Casa Bonitto (11:42 a.m.): Ruling it a TFL instead of a sack for Nik Bonitto.
A sack, of course, would have given Bonitto a seven-game streak. — Gabriel
Holding call (11:41 a.m.): Surtain called for holding, and with first-and-10 Ravens at the 19, you start to … worry. Yeah. — Keeler
This is starting to snowball for the Broncos. The Ravens are in the red zone again, and this Denver offense is not designed for 14-point comebacks. — Schubert
Just a tad too much (11:38 a.m.): Nix has got to make that throw. Franklin ran right by his man on fourth-and-4 for a TD but Nix overthrew him in the end zone. — Gabriel
Payton’s been itching to take those shots on these Ravens corners. Problem: He doesn’t have a QB1 or many WRs who can consistently hit those yet. Again, matchup problem. — Keeler
Bo Nix will connect with Troy Franklin on a deep pass someday. I promise. — Schubert
Broncos go for it on fourth down. Troy Franklin beats man. Wide open. Nix over throws him. That is going to leave a mark. I like the aggressiveness. But you have to execute on road vs. good teams. Might not get another chance like that again. Nix will learn from this. But man oh man. What a momentum swing. — Renck
First-quarter analysis — Ravens 7, Broncos 0
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Bo Nix out of structure is making things happen. The rest of the offensive outing so far… does not look like a team that can keep up with Baltimore for 60 minutes
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: After watching Baltimore’s scoring drive, I regret my game prediction.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: The Ravens D tries to make you run East-West to beat them. The Broncos aren’t built to do East-West all that well. Humphrey’s tip and Javonte’s non-stretch have been huge in a game of inches. Nix’s improvised throw to Williams gives you hope, but there’s not much margin for error out there today.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: Broncos should feel good about being down 7-0 after 1. But they can’t and won. Not after two lost possessions. Bo Nix showed the blueprint to keeping Broncos in game. Attack, attack, attack.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: Feels like this could be much worse for the Broncos. A tipped-pass interception resulted in zero points for the Ravens. So one bullet dodged. But they have to find a way to finish drives against the Ravens or this will be over by the third quarter.
First-quarter updates
Huge gain (11:33 a.m.): Bo Nix gets out of the pocket and finds a wide-open Javonte Williams, who takes off for a 34-yard gain. — Nguyen
Fantastic work extending that play for Bo Nix.
And great job from Javonte Williams finding the right spot to be. — Schubert
#Broncos Bo Nix demonstrated his skillset.. Scrambles right. Keeps eyes downfield and connects to Javonte Williams for 33-yard gain. Nix kept play alive and kept head up… Solid play. — Renck
Touchdown, Ravens (11:27 a.m.): Derrick Henry just powers his way into the end zone for a 7-yard rushing touchdown. It’s his 100th career rushing touchdown. Ravens 7, Broncos 0 with 2:18 to go in the first quarter. — Nguyen
💯 career rushing TDs for the King!
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Broncos stuffed Derrick Henry on two straight runs, but he just keeps battering away.
At this point, I think he has to be considered the best RB of his generation hands down. — Schubert
Brandon Jones didn’t stand a chance stopping Henry on that touchdown run. — McFadden
Derrick Henry puts on the mudflaps and motors in for his 100th career TD. He is an absolute load. To upset Ravens, Broncos have to play near perfect game. They turned ball over on first two possessions and now are climbing uphill. Broncos are not winning a rock fight. Gotta score 24 points to win. Playing conservative won’t work. — Renck
Just the fifth rushing TD allowed by the Broncos this year and the third since Week 1. Denver’s got its hands full with this Ravens offense today. And the defense has been put in a bad spot on each of the first two possessions. — Gabriel
Javonte Williams gifts Baltimore a short field. Wouldn’t recommend gifting Lamar Jackson short fields here. — Keeler
Big gain (11:25 a.m.): Lamar Jackson finds a wide-open Nelson Agholor for a 30-yard gain. — Nguyen
Just a hell of a throw from Lamar Jackson. Broncos couldn’t apply pressure and he feathered a fantastic pass downfield. — Schubert
Agholor got McMillian’s hands off him and then Key also came too far up the field from his safety spot and Agholor got loose for 30. Ravens into the red zone now. — Gabriel
Fourth-down attempt (11:21 a.m.): Man, that was greasy. I hate going wide on a fourth-and-short. Looks like Javonte Williams was short. Needed to reach ball out as he fell. Ravens challenging call of first down. Hope for Broncos is not enough evidence to overturn. But Javonte did not help himself on that play. — Renck
Ravens wins the challenge and are back on offense. — McFadden
Two drives, two turnovers. Ravens are a bad matchup for a run-first Broncos approach. But those corners can totally be had. — Keeler
Personally, I would’ve just run another QB sneak, but I’m a big believer of that play producing 2 feet at minimum. — Schubert
Big gain (11:15 a.m.): Reports of the Ravens’ secondary are … accurate. — Keeler
Bo Nix developing a bit of that back-shoulder chemistry with Sutton as the season goes along. — Gabriel
Third-down conversion (11:11 a.m.): Broncos move the chains after Nix’s 5-yard completion to Vele. — McFadden
Devaughn Vele becoming a reliable third-down target the past few weeks is a good development for the Broncos. — Gabriel
That Vele catch is why Tim Patrick is not on the team. He needs more targets. He is a younger version of Patrick. — Renck
Turnovers (11:09 a.m.): Bo Nix had not turned the ball over in the Broncos’ three-game road winning streak. Throws INT on first pass. Was a little high. And Humphrey got hands up a little late. Per usual, Broncos D does the heavy lifting. John Franklin-Myers mauls RT Rosengarten and gets sack, knocking Baltimore out of FG position. Nix deserves most of blame for turnover, but Payton’s love for Humphrey grows more suspect by the week. — Renck
Sacked (11:06 a.m.): John Franklin-Myers sacked Lamar Jackson for an 11-yard loss. That pushes Baltimore out of field-goal range and forces them to punt. Denver will start at its own 1-yard line. — Nguyen
The defense steps up on 3rd down 💪
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John Franklin-Myers destroyed Roger Rosengarten, the Colorado kid. — Gabriel
Valor Christian’s finest has held up well for most of the season, but John Franklin-Myers just gave Roger Rosengarten a lesson. — Schubert
Broncos now have 31 sacks, tied for second with Jets, trailing only the Giants (35). — Renck
Picked off (11:04 a.m.): Bo Nix picked on his first pass attempt of the day. Ouch.
Broncos ran toss and then boot off of it on the second play. Humphrey’s got to catch that ball but Nix also put it a little too far out in front. — Gabriel
The get a turnover on the second play of the game!
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Jaleel McLaughlin gets the start at RB. And goes nowhere on first down. .. An interception follows. Right off Humphrey’s hands.. Terrible start. — Renck
And we’ve got a turnover involving Lil’Jordan Humphrey on the Broncos’ first possession of the game for the second straight week. We’ll give Nix 60% of the blame pie on that. — Schubert
Per Pro Football Reference, that’s Lil’Jordan Humphrey’s third drop in 28 targets. And fourth in 47 targets as a Bronco. Vance’s Vagabonds turn BAL away on the short field, though, so there’s that. — Keeler
Coin toss (11 a.m.): Baltimore won the toss and elected to defer. Broncos will start the game on offense and maybe that’s a good thing. — McFadden
Pre-game updates
Local kid (10:27 a.m.): For those with local interest, Ravens are starting rookie Roger Rosengarten at right tackle. He was a second-round pick out of Washington but, of course, played his high school ball at Highlands Ranch. — Gabriel
Passing game (10:26 a.m.): And to Parker’s point, can the Broncos take advantage of the Ravens’ weakness in the secondary. Baltimore has allowed 17 touchdown passes, tied for most. Bo Nix must throw vertically to win this game. — Renck
Weather report (10:07 a.m.): It’s an offense type of day here at M&T Bank Stadium. Light winds, sunny, perfect weather. Will be interesting to see if the Broncos can slow down this dynamic Ravens offense. — Gabriel
Odds (9:45 a.m.): Broncos are a 9-point underdog, the largest spread in the NFL this week. But two former greats on ESPN’s pregame show believe it will be a close game. Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi picked the Broncos to cover the spread. They have covered in all their road games this season, and won three straight away from Denver. — Renck
Broncos inactives (9:33 a.m.):
- QB Zach Wilson (3rd QB)
- S P.J. Locke (thumb)
- TE Greg Dulcich
- CB Damarri Mathis
- CB Kris Abrams-Draine
- OLB Dondrea Tillman
- OL Frank Crum
Denver has DL Eyioma Uwazurike up this week. Second time for him (LAC). They’ve had him active and an extra defensive back — in this case Mathis — down for the two best rushing teams so far on the schedule. — Gabriel
Good morning from Baltimore (9:26 a.m.): It’s a picture-perfect day in Charm City. And a big one on tap between the 5-3 Ravens and the 5-3 Broncos. This is pretty easily Denver’s biggest test of the year. Good-on-good between Denver’s defense and Baltimore’s offense and question-on-question between Baltimore’s secondary and the Broncos’ passing offense. — Gabriel
Scouting report (9 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Ravens in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.
Game predictions
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Ravens 26, Broncos 17
The Broncos have done exactly what they’re supposed to so far and then some. They’ve beaten bad teams and taken advantage of breaks the schedule has thrown their way. They’ve also found a way to win three road games. Thatap the recipe for a good start behind a dominant defense, terrific special teams and an offense thatap done just enough. They’ll need more, though, the next three weeks. They can slow Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and company in ways not many defenses can. Can the offense do enough to keep pace? That part still seems aspirational.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 27, Ravens 24
I might be against everyone else, but who cares? Yes, itap going to be hard to contain the Ravens offense for four quarters. But Baltimore’s pass defense has been shaky, which should provide hope for the Broncos. If Sean Payton follows the same script as the Tampa Bay game and attacks Baltimore’s weakness from the jump, Denver has a chance to prove the doubters wrong.
Troy Renck, columnist: Ravens 27, Broncos 22
The Broncos have played a Charmin-soft schedule, which means the wise guys believe they will need Kleenex after this one. Denver is a heavy underdog, facing a Ravens team ready to play bully ball. Something about this Denver team is different. The players have confidence, an edge. The Broncos won’t flinch; they will make Lamar Jackson one-dimensional, but Denver’s inability to connect on deep strikes will prove the difference. Denver will look back on this game as the moment it knew it could contend in the AFC and turn it into future wins. But it won’t happen Sunday.
Sean Keeler, columnist: Ravens 24, Broncos 20
Can the Broncos win a game in which Bo Nix has to throw it 42 times or more? They’re not there yet. And he’s probably not there yet … don’t let that Shedeur Sanders-esque passing line against Carolina fool you. The Ravens are usually good for about three inexplicable losses in a given regular season. But sadly, they’ve already used up two of them, and the taste of that Cleveland stinker is still fresh in too many mouths.
Broncos-Ravens NFL Week 9: Must-reads
Renck: Broncos’ Bo Nix can prove he is franchise quarterback with big performance vs. Ravens
The costume spoke volumes.
At a Halloween party this week, Bo Nix and his wife, Izzy, wore “Top Gun”-inspired outfits. Decked out in a leather bomber jacket with sunglasses and a crew cut, Nix was Iceman.
Ferris Bueller is fun, mischievous, an expert on shortcuts. Iceman is more Nix’s personality — confident, driven, rigid and dedicated. He is known for adhering to rules and coloring inside the lines, apt for Nix, who revealed on the Jumbotron last week that if football fell through he would have become an FBI agent.
Structure, guidelines, executing the plan — all of these things are paramount this week. Well ahead of schedule, Nix has a chance Sunday to prove he is a franchise quarterback. Read Troy Renck’s full column.
Broncos Journal: 10 observations about Denver through midway point
Ten observations about the Broncos, Bo Nix, new uniforms and other things through eight weeks of the regular season.
1. Nix can move, but that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. During the rookie quarterback’s first season at Oregon, he had 89 carries for 510 yards and 14 touchdowns. Seeing Nix translate that in the NFL has been impressive. He has recorded 196 yards and two touchdowns on 28 scrambles, according to Next Gen Stats. And when the Broncos have incorporated designed runs, Nix has been able to generate positive yardage. Nix hasn’t been perfect but his success as a runner makes you wonder about the potential of Denver’s offense once he fine-tunes other aspects of his game. Read Ryan McFadden’s full story.
Broncos’ offensive task Sunday vs. Baltimore: Control tempo, by run or by pass
In the time Sean Payton spends each week with the entire Broncos team in meetings, he typically outlines a specific version of the game to come.
This week’s recipe. These things happen, we win. They don’t, we don’t.
Like many arrows in Payton’s quiver, this one comes from Bill Parcells. Read Parker Gabriel’s full story.
