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

Two of the last three AFC champions will open the season against one another when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Denver Broncos this Sunday.

Gary Kubiak will be making his regular-season debut as Denver's new head coach, and that is one of the most intriguing aspects of this game. Kubiak spent last season as Baltimore's offensive coordinator.

So which team feels it has the edge? Does Kubiak have some insight on how to attack his former team, or does Baltimore know some of Kubiak's tendencies, thus giving it an advantage?

Here, we will examine how the Broncos will plan for this game on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Offensive Game Plan

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

The Broncos are going to run the ball at this team. They are going to run the ball early and run the ball often.

According to the latest injury report on NFL.com, Baltimore defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan is listed as doubtful to play in this game due to a knee injury. That makes the likelihood of Denver having success running the ball even better.

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#Ravens likely to lean heavily upon rookie DT Carl Davis now that Timmy Jernigan has been rules doubtful against the Broncos

— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) September 11, 2015"

C.J. Anderson should expect a healthy workload of around 20 carries in this game. Ronnie Hillman will probably see some action as well.

This would be the best way for the Broncos to kick off the season, particularly with so much inexperience on the offensive line with Ty Sambrailo and Matt Paradis. The Ravens will be trying to come after Peyton Manning with Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs. Denver will offset this by calling multiple run plays.

Once the Broncos begin to wear down the Baltimore defense, Kubiak will then call on his tight ends, as he likes to do. Both Owen Daniels and Virgil Green should factor significantly into this game from a blocking and pass-catching perspective.

The last time these two teams played, Manning put up the kind of numbers you usually only see in video games, throwing seven touchdown passes. This time around, he will help orchestrate a more methodical approach, leaning on his running backs to help control time of possession.

Defensive Game Plan

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Not only will Kubiak be coaching his first game with the Broncos in returning to Denver, but also defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will be making his return to the team. Though Phillips achieved mixed success as a head coach, he is one of the best defensive coordinators the game has ever seen.

With that said, fans in Denver should be able to look forward to a fun season on the defensive side of the ball with the players Phillips has at his disposal.

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Wade Phillips to Denver as defensive coordinator is the most underrated offseason acquisition by any team.

— Bryn Swartz (@eaglescentral) September 5, 2015"

NFL.com lists rookie wide receiver Breshad Perriman as out for this game. That leaves quarterback Joe Flacco with few options at wide receiver. He'll have Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown as his main targets.

Look for the Ravens to try to get the ground game established early with Justin Forsett. If Sylvester Williams is able to do his job up front, inside linebackers Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan should be able to help limit Forsett's success.

As a result, Flacco is going to try to attack with his tight ends as well. Safety T.J. Ward is suspended for the game due to a violation of the league's Personal Conduct Policy. That could leave his replacement, David Bruton, matched up against a tight end often.

Crockett Gilmore and rookie Maxx Williams will be thrown to plenty in this game. Though Dennis Pitta will not play in this game, he has had success against the Denver defense before.

This will force Marshall and Trevathan to be key factors in the passing game as well. They will need to be able to diagnose the calls from the Baltimore offense and drop back into coverage. Both linebackers may be a better matchup against Gilmore and Williams than Bruton anyway.

In addition to that, look for Phillips to be very aggressive in this game. Though Flacco is capable of making big plays through the air, Phillips will be confident in his secondary against the likes of Smith and Aiken, and he will send a variety of blitzes at the Ravens quarterback.

Key Players and Matchups

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Ty Sambrailo and Matt Paradis:  Though both Sambrailo and Paradis seem like good future prospects, you can expect the Ravens to throw everything they can at them in this game. Between them, Sambrailo and Paradis have zero combined NFL starts, and the Ravens coaching staff will be well aware of that fact.

Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall: As mentioned before, the two inside linebackers for the Broncos will be heavily counted on to deliver in this game, both against the run and the pass. Both players will be perhaps the biggest keys for the defense all season. 

David Bruton: Ward's replacement will be entering his seventh season in the league, but he's spent most of his career playing special teams. He has just one career interception. 

In this game, he'll need to make plays on defense, too, and the Ravens are going to try to exploit him. Bruton must be up to the challenge. Reserve safety Josh Bush could see some snaps, too.

Aqib Talib vs. Steve Smith: It might make more sense to match Chris Harris up against Smith, but whichever Denver cornerback draws the assignment needs to shut him down. 

Though Smith is 36 years old, he's a crafty veteran who knows how to get open. He may be Baltimore's only chance to beat the Broncos deep down the field. If the Broncos can keep everything in front of them and force Flacco to short and intermediate throws, things should go their way.

Prediction

This is a battle of two of the AFC's best teams, and both should be strong playoff contenders all season. The fact that the Broncos get this game at Sports Authority Field may be what makes the difference. 

Denver should be able to possess the ball and control the clock with a sound running game. For a team still settling into Kubiak's new offense, it probably won't be a perfect performance.

Look for the Broncos to put enough points on the board and for the defense to finish Baltimore off in the end. It won't come easy, but the Broncos start the season 1-0.

Prediction: Broncos 24, Ravens 20