Ravens vs. Broncos: Full Baltimore Game Preview
The 2015 NFL regular season kicks off with a bang as several tantalizing matchups are on deck for Week 1.
That's the case with the Baltimore Ravens as they face the Denver Broncos in a potential clash of Super Bowl contenders. After all, these two franchises have combined for two Super Bowl appearances in the last three years.
Baltimore ousted Denver out of the 2012-13 playoffs en route to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47.
One year later, the Broncos made it to Super Bowl 48 before losing to the Seattle Seahawks. Last year, both Denver and Baltimore made the playoffs and got to the divisional round before they both lost in that weekend.
Now, both teams will look to build off their success in 2014 and make deeper playoff runs this year. While the two teams didn't play each other in 2014, they're still very familiar with each other.
That's mainly because Denver's new head coach is Gary Kubiak, who served as Baltimore's offensive coordinator during the 2014 season. He's going to be able to game-plan for the Ravens as good as any coach in the NFL would.
That said, Baltimore will also be able to plan for what Kubiak will throw at it after being with him for an entire season. It only makes what will be a tightly contested game even more intriguing to watch.
Here is the location and viewing info for this matchup.
Game Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado.
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
TV: CBS
News and Notes
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When will Breshad Perriman return?
One of the biggest stories in training camp and through the preseason was the status of wide receiver Breshad Perriman.
Drafted with the 26th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, the Ravens expected Perriman to become a focal part of the offense as early as this year with so many unproven commodities at that position. Perriman was also expected to help replace the departed Torrey Smith after he signed with the 49ers in free agency this offseason.
However, Perriman banged his knee on the ground during one of the team's first training camp sessions, but that wasn't expected to keep him out long. That is until it was later revealed Perriman had suffered a sprained PCL, which caused him to miss all four preseason games while not practicing since suffering the injury.
ESPN's Jamison Hensley believes the injury could sideline Perriman until October. If that's the case, not only will he miss the first 4-8 games of his rookie season, but he'll be very far behind in learning the offense once he does get back.
At this point, anything Perriman contributes to the offense the first half of the season is going to be a bonus based on this latest news.
Who steps up at wide receiver?
With Perriman out and Torrey Smith gone, Steve Smith Sr. is the only wide receiver back from last year that caught more than 24 passes. While Smith Sr. can be a big part of the passing game, Baltimore needs someone else to step up if its offense is going to have success this year, especially against a defense as good as Denver's.
In 2014, Denver ranked No. 9 in passing defense and total sacks (41) while also ranking No. 7 in total interceptions (18). This is a great unit, and Baltimore is going to have to get production for its other receivers to win.
As of now, Kamar Aiken is set to open as the No. 2 receiver after catching 24 passes for 267 yards and three scores in 2014. That was his first year in which he caught a pass in a regular-season game after spending time on practice squads for most of his first three years in the NFL.
Third-year man Marlon Brown could also be a significant contributor this year after catching seven touchdowns during his rookie season in 2013, but he didn't score in 2014.
Needless to say, there's not a lot of optimism surrounding this position heading into Week 1.
Joe Flacco knows another 10-win season won't cut it
Since Joe Flacco became the starting quarterback of the Ravens in 2008, his teams have won at least 10 games in five of his seven years in the NFL.
Needless to say, Flacco is used to winning double-digit games, so if Baltimore reaches that feat again this year, it's not going to be as satisfying as it may for a lot of NFL players.
As he told ESPN's Jamison Hensley, Flacco knows Baltimore needs to win more than 10 games if it wants to win the AFC North and have good positioning in the playoff picture.
"I don’t think we can rely on only winning 10 games and getting in. I think you want to at least get to that 11 number. When you talk about winning the division, you really want to at least get to 12-4 in order to have that happen. And even at that, it usually comes down to the last two games. It always manages to come down to that regular-season game with playoff implications on the line.
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As it turns out, the winner of the AFC North has won at least 11 games in four of the past five seasons. It's usually one of the best divisions in football, so getting to 11 or even 12 wins would be a great way to ensure Baltimore not only wins it, but also is in the running for a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Latest Injury News
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The Ravens have several players banged up ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Broncos. The most notable of them is defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan.
Baltimore had a big scare during the Week 3 preseason matchup with Washington after Jernigan went down with a knee injury during the game. Jernigan was clearly in pain while favoring the knee, but it turned out to be nothing major.
However, his status for the regular-season opener against the Broncos remains in question, especially after he was unable to practice on Wednesday.
According to Clifton Brown of CSN Baltimore, Jernigan was among four Ravens not practicing Wednesday, which included cornerback Rashaan Melvin, running back Lorenzo Taliaferro, and wide receiver Breshad Perriman.
Of those four, Jernigan would easily be the biggest loss if he's unable to play Sunday against a Broncos team that ranked No. 4 in total offense in 2014.
Jernigan had a promising rookie season in 2014 after the Ravens drafted him in the second round out of Florida State in the 2014 NFL draft. His emergence also helped Baltimore feel good about trading Pro Bowl defensive lineman Haloti Ngata to the Detroit Lions this offseason
The Ravens did so expecting Jernigan to step up and replace him, but he won't do that if he's not on the field against the high-powered Broncos offense.
Key Matchups
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Broncos Defensive Front-Seven vs. Ravens Offensive Line
If Baltimore is going to win this game, it will have to do so in the trenches. It has one of the best offensive lines in football led by All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda.
If the Ravens can keep Joe Flacco clean in the passing game while opening up holes in the running game, they can attack Denver with a balanced offense that eats up a lot of clock and keeps the Broncos offense off the field.
That won't be easy though, as Denver features a loaded front seven that includes pass-rushing extraordinaire Von Miller. He alone can destroy an offensive game plan, as evidenced by his 49 career sacks and 13 forced fumbles through his first 56 NFL games.
DeMarcus Ware is no slouch either with his 127 sacks and 34 forced fumbles in his career. Those two coming off the edge can seriously hinder any offense.
If Baltimore's offensive line isn't up to the challenge, it has little-to-no chance in this one.
Ravens Cornerbacks vs. Broncos Pass Offense
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is a master of exploiting a defense's weaknesses. With Baltimore, he'll look to attack its thin cornerback unit early and often with his two stud receivers in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas.
Those two combined to catch 212 passes for 3,023 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2014. On the other side, Baltimore finished 2014 with the 10th-worst passing defense and the seventh-fewest interceptions (11).
That's exactly where Manning and the Broncos are going to attack in Sunday's matchup. The good news is starting corner Jimmy Smith is back after missing half of last season with a foot injury.
He and Lardarius Webb will combine to form a solid cornerback tandem that will be put to the test against Denver. They'll at least need to slow the Broncos receivers down if the Ravens are going to have any chance at winning this game.
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Matchup X-Factors
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Ravens X-Factor of the Week: FS Kendrick Lewis
Sunday will be the first regular-season contest in which Kendrick Lewis starts at free safety for the Ravens.
Lewis signed with Baltimore this offseason after spending the 2014 NFL season as the starting free safety for the Houston Texans. In that role, Lewis registered 84 tackles, six pass defenses, three forced fumbles and two interceptions in 16 games.
In pass coverage, Lewis gave up just 20 completions on 33 passing attempts for 252 yards and one score, according to Pro Football Focus. He was part of a Houston defense that allowed just 6.7 yards per passing attempt, the seventh-lowest total of any team in 2014.
Because Baltimore lost Darian Stewart to Denver in free agency this offseason, Lewis was signed to fill that void in Baltimore's defense. Stewart was a good safety last year in a defense that was among the worst at stopping the pass.
Can Lewis at the very least be as good as Stewart, if not better? How well he holds up in coverage and defends the back half of the defense will determine how well Baltimore stops Denver's big-play offense.
In 2014, the Broncos finished with an astounding 80 plays of 20 yards or more. Sixty-seven of them came via the pass, and Lewis will play a major role in limiting those big plays.
Prediction: Broncos 26, Ravens 20
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As mentioned in the first slide, Baltimore is facing a tough challenge in Week 1 by opening up against Gary Kubiak, who served as its offensive coordinator in 2014.
He'll know how to attack the Ravens' weaknesses, which as of now, they have more of than the Broncos do. They're ranked in the top four or five of nearly every preseason power ranking, including Fox Sports, which has Denver No. 2 in its preseason rankings.
That's not to say Baltimore won't end up being the better team when this season is over, but not having key players like Breshad Perriman and Timmy Jernigan while also having so many new starters makes this a difficult game for Baltimore against a Broncos team that has most of its key guys from its 2014 squad back.
Still, Baltimore is able to make this a competitive game that is close throughout, but Denver is ultimately able to hold on for the six-point win.
Final Prediction: Broncos 26, Ravens 20
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