It feels so good to get the bye week out of the way! I personally HATE the bye week, as I have previously informed everyone. I realize that it is a chance for some teams to take a breath after a horrible stretch, i.e. Titans. It also gives teams a chance to get healthy. But it seems that teams are always coming off of a bye week sluggish and out of sync. I always disagree with coaches who sit their starters in the final week of the season so they can have a “bye” week. They seem to always get crushed in the first round of the playoffs.
Okay, moving off the soap box. Now that I have the pleasure of looking forward to a Broncos game this weekend, the game itself looks to be a great matchup. Baltimore has a great offense, and their young quarterback Joe Flacco has shown maturity beyond his years, and most receivers in general. The running back duo of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee is potent to say the least, with Ray Rice being a leader in the NFL in yards per game and McGahee adding some tough pound-it-out yards. Though the receiving core is not quite great, they are fairly solid. Mason is a wiley vet who knows coverages and what defenses are trying to do. Clayton has underachieved so far in his career, but may be able to break out with the talented Flacco.
Though this looks to be a tough task for the Denver defense, I have learned during this young season to not underestimate them. Though the defense in the first half has allowed opponents to put up numbers and points, they have made great adjustments and allowed barely any points, 10 points thus far, in the second half. If my theory of teams, and most often offenses, being stagnant coming off a bye week holds true then the Ravens may be in for a long game. If Denver continues to stop the run against Baltimore and forces Joe Flacco to sling the ball 35+ times, look for Denver’s ball-hawking defense to come up with a few turnovers. Not to mention Elvis putting Joe on his back more than once.
This leads me to Denver’s offense facing off against the once dominant Baltimore defense. The Baltimore defense has gotten old and is ranked a mediocre 15th overall and 19th in scoring. Baltimore may still have one of the smartest and nastiest middle line backers in the game in Ray Lewis, but if he is accounted for and is hindered by a blocker we won’t be seeing any highlight de-cleaters from him in this game. As always, Ed Reed is dangerous, but I’m confident that McDaniels and Orton have worked out plenty of strategies to keep the ball out of Reed’s area of influence.
The Broncos offense has far too much to offer for the Ravens defense. With the quickness of Moreno and the strength of Buckhalter in the back field, the Ravens defense will need to bring 8 in the box more often than usual. With the extra man in the box, look for Orton to find Marshall, Stokely, Gaffney, Scheffler and hopefully Royal early and often. Though the Ravens defense is physical, Marshall is bigger and stronger than anyone who will cover him. If Marshall is doubled by the Ravens, there could be a big game in store for the rest of the receiving core.
The Broncos also carry a very large advantage in the special teams category, with the explosive Eddie Royal returning kicks and punts for Denver. Baltimore’s kicker has made a high percentage of kicks, and thus they gain the advantage in field goals. I would give the punting game to the Ravens, but Denver has Royal returning kicks so I imagine he will have more of an effect on the field position battle than the punter.
Prediction: Though I feel that the Broncos have an advantage in almost every category, I cannot imagine this game being lopsided one way or the other. Denver has had more than a little trouble in the past against Baltimore, especially in the Ravens house, but they are a much different team than in the past. This is no longer the soft team of the last few years, prone to giving up huge leads and choking at the end of games. The Broncos have the offense to gain an early lead and the defense to hold the lead. Broncos continue their winning ways, and the Ravens’ losing streak, 17-10.
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