Ravens' Bye Week Bears Fruit as They Topple Undefeated Broncos 30-7

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Ravens. They were coming off three close losses, all by a combined total of 11 points.

As I stated in my last article, the Ravens were probably the best 3-3 team in the NFL, and it finally showed as the Ravens blew out the undefeated Broncos 30-7 on Sunday.

One thing was obvious during the bye: The Ravens needed to make adjustments on defense. Coach John Harbaugh said last week that “working on fundamentals” was going to be the focus of their downtime.

Well, a completely different Baltimore squad took the field on Sunday, and all of the adjustments they made paid off big-time in a game that was labeled a “must win.”

For the entire game, Baltimore played as if their season was on the line. Joe Flacco completed an astounding 80 percent of his passes against a Denver defense that was ranked second overall. Baltimore’s offensive line was stellar, allowing Flacco to throw with ease all game.

Flacco finished with 175 yards and a touchdown pass to Derrick Mason. Elvis Dumervil, who leads the AFC in sacks with 10, failed to make a hit on Flacco.

Ray Rice, who is quickly becoming one of the NFL’s top running backs, had an extremely effective day running the football. He finished with 84 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown. Rice also contributed in the passing game (as always), posting 24 yards and converting on some key third downs.  

In every aspect of the game, Baltimore improved by leaps and bounds coming off of the much-needed bye.

On the other side of the football, Denver looked comatose. 

The Broncos offense, led by Kyle Orton, a transplant from Chicago, managed to only cross into Baltimore territory three times. Experts in the media were quick to give Orton a spot on their lists of top 10 quarterbacks, labeling him as one of the best “game managers” in the NFL.

Orton might fit the label of a “game manager,” but he needed to do more than that in order to beat a Ravens team who couldn’t have played any better, especially on defense.

Baltimore’s blitz packages were impeccable, sacking Orton twice (once on the first play of the game) and pressuring him for the entirety of the contest.

Coverage on the Broncos’ receivers was outstanding. Denver’s leading receiver on the day was Jabar Gaffney, who only could muster three catches for 43 yards. Denver’s biggest threat at receiver, Brandon Marshall, was held to just 24 yards—a season low.

There were so many positives Sunday for Baltimore, it would be impossible to list all of them in this article.

It was truly a special day to be a Ravens fan. I have a good feeling this newfound success will continue for the team, even though the road ahead could be rough. 

The biggest thing we can take away from this game is that Baltimore can win the big games convincingly. It’s also apparent the coaching staff and players have fixed the problems that plagued them the past three games. Flacco, barring any major injury, is on the road to becoming one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks in just his second year.

I don’t know of any team that would want to face Baltimore right now!

Notables from Sunday’s game

Denver was unable to force a turnover for the first time this season.

Going into Sunday’s game, Denver had allowed only 10 points in the second half through six games. They allowed 24 to Baltimore in the second half of Sunday's game alone.

Flacco has thrown a touchdown pass in seven straight games.

The Ravens hold an all-time 4-0 record against Denver at home.

Rice has racked up 100 or more all-purpose yards in four straight games.