Broncos to face desperate Ravens

Will a break put the brakes on the Denver Broncos’ incredible start to their season?

Probably not, because the undefeated Broncos have dominated nearly all of their opponents this season, capturing some serious Mile High magic in the process.

But Denver faces the desperate 3-3 Baltimore Ravens Sunday, a game that sets up in the Ravens’ favor. Can the Broncos avoid their first loss?

Here is everything Broncos you need to know going into Sunday’s 11 a.m. showdown in Baltimore:

What’s the scoop?

The Broncos had their bye week last week and got a much deserved and much needed time off to lick their wounds.

But head coach Josh McDaniel also preached “staying sharp” in order to avoid a letdown — which the Broncos may be due for.

But as of now they are still undefeated, mainly because their defense has been the NFL’s best unit near the halfway point of the season.

The Broncos’ offense is also a much-improved unit, which continues to grow under quarterback Kyle Orton — who has only one interception this season. As Orton continues to master McDaniels’ complex offensive system, the Broncos’ offense has looked better game by game.

Moreover, rookie running back Knowshon Moreno has continued to progress to the point where he was named back-to-back NFL Rookie of the Week, and to the point where he is finally making a positive impact on the team — minus the occasional fumble.

And to put the icing on the cake, stud receiver/return man Eddie Royal showed exactly why Mike Shanahan selected him over several other productive receivers last year — after returning both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns two weeks ago.

But the past is the past, and this week Denver plays a Ravens’ team that is better than their .500 record indicates and a team that was in last year’s AFC Championship Game.

Who are these guys? 

The Ravens are well known by their stellar defensive unit that features All Pros in Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, but that same defense that helped them win a Super Bowl earlier in the decade has gotten longer in the tooth and seems to have lost a step.

This season, the Ravens are allowing teams to move the ball and score points, something that was truly a difficult task in recent years past.

But while their defense has aged, their offense has emerged as a legit top-10 NFL offense, turning Baltimore into a balanced team that can shut your offense down or outscore it.

Two second-year standouts in quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice have elevated the Ravens’ offense, and Rice is quickly turning into one of the league’s next great backs.

But all of the bounces that went Baltimore’s way last season have not this season, and the result is their struggling 3-3 record.

Surely Baltimore knows their season is close to being over with a loss, but they also believe they still have the horses to make another run in their division and in the playoffs.

What to expect:

A defensive slugfest.

Both defenses are just flat-out good and both offenses will likely struggle because of it.

The Broncos will run Moreno and Correll Buckhalter early and often, and depending on how productive the run game is, that could heavily influence how much Orton throws the ball.

The Ravens will also run the ball with Ray Rice, and they will mix in some Willis McGahee, but Baltimore also takes more shots downfield than the Broncos do.

Turnovers will play a huge factor in the game, and the team with the fewest will have a big advantage — especially in a tight 24-20-type game.

The Broncos are +3 favorites on the road, a tough task to overcome if you are planning to bet the Broncos.

These teams last met in the 2006 season with the Broncos defeating the Ravens 13-3 in a defensive battle, so even though Denver may pull out a win by a slim margin, the Ravens may cover the spread.

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