Ravens vs. Broncos: What's the Game Plan for Baltimore?

The Baltimore Ravens will open their 2015 NFL season against the Denver Broncos on Sunday at Mile High.

The two teams have developed a rivalry of sorts in recent years, with three matchups since the 2012 season.

It began that year, with Denver winning 34-17 at Baltimore in the regular season. That was before the Ravens returned the favor at Denver in the playoffs, with a 38-35 win, en route to winning the Super Bowl that season. Denver then got a little payback when it thrashed the Ravens 49-27 in the regular-season opener in 2013.

This Sunday's matchup will feature both teams coming off playoff berths a year ago.

Here's a look at Baltimore's game plan if it is to achieve victory in its first regular-season game of 2015.

Offensive Game Plan

The biggest key to beating the Broncos is keeping their high-powered offense off the field as much as possible. That requires Baltimore's offense to be efficient and not have many—if any—three-and-outs.

In 2014, Denver went 12-1 in games in which its offense scored 22 or more points. However, it was 0-4 in games that it scored 21 or fewer points. That included the Broncos' 24-13 loss against the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Needless to say, the Broncos win when their offense is clicking but are rarely able to win games that turn into defensive struggles.

Baltimore must make this a defensive struggle if it is to win this game. That means controlling the game on the ground with a consistent rushing offense to go with a balanced passing game that is able to exploit what few holes Denver's secondary has.

After all, the Broncos feature arguably the best cornerback tandem there is in Aqib Talib and Chris Harris. A game plan that involves throwing at them a lot is one that's bound to fail more often than not.

The good news is the Ravens have one of the best offensive lines in football paving the way for one of the better running backs there is in Justin Forsett. He rushed for 1,266 yards and caught 44 passes for 263 yards last year, and he'll need to have a good game on the ground while catching a few passes for Baltimore to win this game.

Defensive Game Plan

As mentioned above, how well Baltimore's offense performs can go a long way in stopping Denver's offense. Winning the time-of-possession battle is key.

However, the Ravens defense is going to have to step up and get stops in this one, which is something it struggled to do in 2014 against good passing offenses. Denver will feature one of the NFL's most explosive and balanced offenses.

However, the Broncos like to feature the passing game more, as evidenced by their No. 4 ranking in pass offense and No. 15 ranking in rush offense last year. 

The good news is that while the secondary is still a work-in-progress, Baltimore has the kind of pass rush that could derail the Broncos offense.

That's because Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs form the best outside linebacker tandem in football from a pass-rushing standpoint. Those two combined for 48.5 combined sacks over the past two seasons. Suggs, Dumervil and the other Ravens pass-rushers coming off the edge will be a major factor in determining who wins this one.

Key Players

Ravens DL Carl Davis

Stopping the Broncos offense will be a tall order for the Ravens, especially with news that Timmy Jernigan is doubtful to play, per ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley.

Jernigan would have been a starting defensive lineman in Baltimore's 3-4 defense after a promising rookie season. With him out, it will prove even more difficult to stop the Broncos' high-flying offense.

That means rookie defensive lineman Carl Davis is in line to get his first NFL start, according to Hensley. Davis is listed as the second-string nose tackle on the team's depth chart but has played along the defensive line this preseason.

A third-round selection out of Iowa in the 2015 NFL draft, Davis became a full-time starter in 2013 for the Hawkeyes while notching 78 total tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons.

Assuming he gets a heavy workload in this game, Davis will be one of Baltimore's most intriguing players to watch in this one since he's a relative unknown to this point.

Ravens CB Jimmy Smith

Led by All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning, expect the Broncos to throw the ball early and often in this one. He'll be throwing to arguably the best wide receiver tandem there is in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

In 2014, Sanders and Thomas combined for 212 receptions for 3,023 yards and 20 scores. They will get the majority of Manning's targets in this game, so slowing them down will be critical to stopping the Broncos offense.

The good news is Baltimore may finally have the manpower to do so with the return of No. 1 corner Jimmy Smith. He missed much of last year with a foot injury after emerging as one of the league's better corners.

Smith's 9.5 Pro Football Focus grade ended up being the best of any Ravens corner in 2014, despite him missing the final eight games. Having him to cover Thomas or Sanders for most of this game should help Baltimore slow down Denver's two prolific receivers.

WR Kamar Aiken

We all know what Steve Smith Sr. can do as Baltimore's No. 1 receiver, but Baltimore will need to get production out of its other receivers to win this game.

The team was hoping rookie receiver Breshad Perriman could provide that. Perriman was drafted in the first round this year to upgrade Baltimore's passing offense and help replace the departed Torrey Smith.

Unfortunately, Perriman will miss this week's contest with a knee injury after the team ruled him out on Friday, according to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com.

That means Kamar Aiken will be counted on heavily as the No. 2 receiver in Baltimore's offense this week and likely going forward. Aiken emerged late last season as a legitimate weapon after being a journeyman in his first three years in the NFL.

Aiken finished the year with 24 catches for 267 yards and three scores last year, and he'll be expected to produce significantly more this week.

Prediction

Not having Jernigan is a major blow to the Ravens in a game for which they needed all hands on deck. It doesn't help matters that Perriman has been ruled out for this game.

Baltimore is still a good team that will put up a fight in this one, but it simply doesn't have the horses right now to hang with the Broncos for four quarters.

Denver will control this game throughout, but the Ravens will get a late score to make the final margin look closer than the game actually will be.

Final Score: Broncos 26, Ravens 20