Denver (6-0) at Baltimore (3-3)

Sunny Currently: Baltimore, MD
Temp: 37° F
  • Game info: 1:00 pm EST Sun Nov 1, 2009
  • TV: CBS

By BRETT HUSTON, STATS Writer Oct 28, 6:37 pm EDT

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While the Baltimore Ravens opening 3-0 wasn’t much of a surprise, some felt the Denver Broncos getting off to the same start was a product of their weak opposition.

Three games later, Denver still hasn’t lost - and that’s all Baltimore has done.

The Broncos come off their bye week looking to extend their best start in 11 years Sunday afternoon at Baltimore, where the Ravens spent their week off reflecting on three close games that got away.

Denver (6-0) spent its offseason in turmoil after firing Mike Shanahan, who was its coach for 14 years and had won Super Bowls following the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

The Broncos hired young New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who didn’t endear himself to franchise quarterback Jay Cutler(notes). McDaniels tried to trade for New England starter Matt Cassel(notes), a move that angered Cutler and eventually led to the Pro Bowl passer being dealt to Chicago for Kyle Orton(notes) and two No. 1 draft picks.

So even after a miraculous last-second win at Cincinnati and victories over bottom-feeders Cleveland and Oakland in which Denver allowed 16 total points, few were ready to praise McDaniels. But since Orton has thrown for six touchdowns and completed 70 percent of his passes in victories over Dallas, New England and San Diego, the Broncos are the talk of the AFC.

“Now we are a target,” outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil(notes), who leads the NFL with 10 sacks, told the Broncos’ official Web site. “We are not under the radar. … Everyone is going to give us our best shot, so we’ve got to be prepared for it.”

Denver has been 7-0 once before - when it started 13-0 in 1998 en route to winning the Super Bowl.

Dumervil has led the way for the Broncos’ suffocating defense, which is first in points allowed (11.0 per game) and second in total defense (262.5 yards per game). They’re tied for the AFC lead with 21 sacks and 10 forced fumbles - two by Dumervil.

McDaniels is one of five rookie coaches to start 6-0, though none have won their first seven games. He’ll have that chance Sunday along with Indianapolis’ Jim Caldwell, whose team faces San Francisco while the Broncos visit Baltimore (3-3) for the first time since 2003.

Orton, meanwhile, has a higher passer rating (100.1) than Tom Brady(notes), Philip Rivers(notes) and Donovan McNabb(notes) - among others - and he’s thrown one interception. Cutler averaged one per game in 32 starts over the past two seasons.

To McDaniels, though, only one statistic matters. Orton is 27-12 as a starter.

“A quarterback ultimately gets judged by that and wins and losses,” McDaniels said. “So, Kyle obviously has done a nice job so far.”

Orton will be facing a Ravens defense that’s looked little like the unit that was second in the league in total defense a year ago. This season, Baltimore is 19th in scoring defense (21.7 ppg) and has given up an average of 382.7 yards in consecutive losses to New England, Denver and Minnesota.

All three defeats were by six points or less.

The Ravens secondary, even with the presence of All-Pro safety Ed Reed(notes), has been a major issue. Baltimore has given up six pass plays of 40 or more yards, already equaling last season’s total.

Three of those came in the second half of a 33-31 defeat at Minnesota on Oct. 18. Coach John Harbaugh promised those issues would be addressed during Baltimore’s bye week.

“Big plays are the problem,” Harbaugh said. “If we continue to give up big plays, we’re going to continue to struggle.”

On the bright side, the Ravens offense has taken a big step forward. Second-year quarterback Joe Flacco(notes) has provided stability under center that it’s rarely—if ever—seen, and his career-high 385 yards passing helped generate 21 fourth-quarter points in Minnesota.

Rookie Michael Oher(notes) has helped anchor a solid offensive line, originally beginning at right tackle before being moved to the left side when Jared Gaither(notes) went down with a scary neck injury in a Week 4 loss at New England.

Gaither, however, will play Sunday, while Oher will almost certainly move back to the right side.

“The Broncos are going to test everybody’s pass protection, for sure,” Harbaugh said. “What makes them good is they beat blocks one-on-one. They do a nice job of bull-rushing, and they do a nice job of getting on edges. They’re relentless, they never stop and they’ve got some talented, fast guys.”

Baltimore’s best chance to catch Denver’s speedy defense off guard may be to get the ball to Ray Rice(notes), who’s averaging 6.0 yards per carry and has a team-high 33 receptions. He caught a career-high 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Vikings, and his 766 yards from scrimmage are fourth-most in the NFL.

The Broncos have lost all three meetings with the Ravens in Baltimore, including a 21-3 wild-card playoff loss in 2000.

Denver is an AFC-best 15-5 coming off a bye, while the Ravens have won six of their last seven.

Updated Oct 28, 6:37 pm EDT
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Team Comparison

Team Records Standings PF PA Road/Home AFC NFC DIV Streak
Denver 8-5-0 2nd AFC West 256 230 4-3-0 Road 6-4-0 2-1-0 3-1-0 Lost 1
Baltimore 7-6-0 2nd AFC North 319 218 5-2-0 Home 6-4-0 1-2-0 3-2-0 Won 1
NFL

265 Comments

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  1. BiV
    263. Posted by BiV Tue Nov 3 6:34am EST

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    As a Bronco fan I can say, this loss was overdue and exposes some fundamental weaknesses the Broncos have especially on offense.

    The most damning factor IMO is the extremely conservative play calling.

    Orton almost never throws longer than 10 yards. You wont continue to win if the screen pass or simple short yardage crosses is the way you "stretch the D".

    I like Orton, as he is cautious and has been making very few mistakes, however if the Broncos are going to be a playoff contender, he will half to start upping his game and taking some chances... and capitalizing on them. Marshall and Royal are non-factors right now, but have the potential to be game-breakers.

    Moreno is looking good. If the passing game opens up a bit, he'll look even better. He's also a great receiving RB and would be deadly in open field should he get more touches off of screens.

    I think the Broncos will continue to win some games and make the playoffs, but to go anywhere they'll need to up their game.
  2. big 11
    262. Posted by big 11 Tue Nov 3 1:18am EST

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    ravens finish 8-8 or 9-7 they suck on the road,ray lewis is overated, and the dirtiest player in the league he should be incarcerated , and to cmf3835 u should s t f u Jason s ravens are in a good division because the STEELERS are in it enough said dustin m ur a fu-kin idiot I will be at the cincy ravens game wearing a prison orange jump suit with the no. 52 on it not a bengals fan but a fan of whoever beats the ravens MODELL HATER FROM WAY BACK
  3. <i>fozzyred</i>
    261. Posted by fozzyred Mon Nov 2 10:38pm EST

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    Hey Bronco fans! If you wanna see your team's future, look back at the Washington Redskins of '08! They also won some games early they shouldn't have, then tanked late in the season and missed the playoffs. I'm not tryin' to bash them, I just don't think they're as good as that 6-1 record indicates. At best, they should be 5-2, and that's at BEST! That fluke play against the Bungles? Are you kidding me? Anyway, I think you guys have been exposed a little, and losses like this can have an effect on a rookie coach, and a quarterback who's never really done much in his career. I mean, let's be honest.

    FR
  4. <i>broncodude65</i>
    260. Posted by broncodude65 Mon Nov 2 9:46pm EST

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    Being an avid Bronco fan, I will say that the Ravens played a great game and beat Denver in every phase, including coaching. However, for anyone to say Denver is a weak team and has only beat other weak teams doesn't know much about football. The last time I checked, each team has 11 men on the field. They all get paid a lot of money to play. They all come from the same player pool. A lot of winning comes from the game plan and the execution, and up until yesterday, McDaniels and company has done a great job of doing both. Nobody said the Broncos would go undefeated, so to already claim them a failure after one loss is very premature. Granted, the season is 16 games, however if the season ended today, Denver would be a #2 seed. Does that mean at the end of the season they will even make the playoffs? No, but they have done better than anyone ever thought they would, and they will continue to get better. Orton is not the top QB in the league, but then great stats don't guarantee wins. It takes a total team to win. If the offense holds the ball, the defense stays off the field and stays rested. If the defense stops the other team, the offense gets better field position. If special teams do what they are suppose to do, the offense gets better field position. You can't blame one person for a loss, or one person for a win. Orton doesn't win or lose games, the team does. It is possible for the team to win more games with Orton in one year with the Broncos than what they won with Cutler in two years. I'm just saying.
  5. Dave
    259. Posted by Dave Mon Nov 2 7:45pm EST

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    jeff67435 who posted #226- Ray Lewis has turned his life around and is a great example of what our country is all about. He leads a daily devotional with players from diffrent teams even in his afc north. Since I'm also a christian I want to say sorry for calling you a jack a_s, but your still a coward!
    Spewing your racist veiws behind blogs does nothing. Try shareing something about the last game or future games so we can check out your football IQ. I'll be praying for you over here in the mid east!
  6. Lind
    258. Posted by Lind Mon Nov 2 7:30pm EST

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    Damn you Broncos. Hats off to Ravens and the entire city of Bodymore. Just work on the crime rate now
  7. Lind
    257. Posted by Lind Mon Nov 2 7:30pm EST

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    Damn you Broncos. Hats off to Ravens and the entire city of Bodymore. Just work on the crime rate now
  8. Dave
    256. Posted by Dave Mon Nov 2 6:46pm EST

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    (souless) I'm sitting here in the middle east and it seems that I'm surrounded by (steal-er) fans and cowgirl fans but your the only one that thinks aggressive play is dirty. If I recall correctly, other then the afc champ game your team has always seem to benefit from a few courtesy calls from the refs. I like the fact we get airtime so the nation can see how we get abused by refs weekly. We play football the way it's supposed to be played.
    To that idiot who used the n word while sharing his feelings about Ray, why don't you tell him that in his face? Your a coward just like the ones we hunt down that hide behind school children and gives them loaded fruit baskets to give to soldiers. We enjoy the blogs over here but that talk can change the atmosphere in our barracks! YOU JACK A_S!
  9. Krazede
    255. Posted by Krazede Mon Nov 2 6:28pm EST

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    Post 234-- U are no Bronco's Fan. You're someone who would like everyone to think you're a fan..But the REAL fans, those of us since the beginning when there was so litte to cheer for, have stuck it out. You are obviously a AFC west fan, probably SD, but NOT a Bronco Fan. Josh McDaniel's show of emotion came when Bill refused to shake his hand so Josh shook his fist. You would probably pizz yourself if you accomplished anything close to that win in your miserable little life. What do you do, work at 7-11? As always NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTCOME, NO MATTER WHAT THE SCORE, NO MATTER WHO THEY TRADE FOR OR FIRE, TRUE BRONCO FANS ARE HERE TO STAY !!!
  10. ? -VD aka Superman- ?
    254. Posted by ? -VD aka Superman- ? Mon Nov 2 6:24pm EST

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    kc will destroy denver! and haha, you lost!
  11. Jason C
    253. Posted by Jason C Mon Nov 2 5:59pm EST

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    #183 ... Let me get this straight ... you are not a Ravens fan and you are not a Broncos fan. But you come to the page that is about the Ravens/Broncos game and hate both teams. Wow ... sounds like someone needs a life!
  12. Scott
    252. Posted by Scott Mon Nov 2 5:28pm EST

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    @ Everyone, please stop posting about the fans of their respective teams. Some fans are educated about football, most are not. To say that the Chargers have no fan base because other teams fans are at SD home games is not saying much. San Diego is a huge tourist attraction to the rest of the country (especially at this time of the year) as well as a place to reside permanently. I doubt these people change their teams when they move here, that is why you see large groups of opposing teams fans.
  13. Scott
    251. Posted by Scott Mon Nov 2 5:12pm EST

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    Ok guys this isn't a discussion about fair weather fans, its about Denver the football team. As a Charger fan, i reserve judgements about the Denver Broncos until I see them respond to this loss next week against Pittsburgh. They have a really good Defense (dangerous pass rush), but what concerns me is their offense. Despite injuries, I thought SD did a pretty decent job, just gave up 2 toughdowns on special teams. Denver needs more playmakers on offense, they rely on their defense to secure good field position for their offense. Almost the exact opposite of the Chargers right now so it will be interesting to see how these next games pan out as both teams play quality opponents, but as of right now, I have to say Denver is the better team, but San Diego has been tested more...
  14. Jason C-4.0
    250. Posted by Jason C-4.0 Mon Nov 2 4:48pm EST

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    It was nice to see the Broncos get slapped back into reality. Especially the fans. I just wish they didn't play in the same division as the Raiders and the Chiefs so that they wouldn't get those automatic 4 wins. It's ok though... They still have loses coming from the Steelers next week... The Chargers, Giants, Colts, and Eagles should all beat them as well. So that leaves them at about 10-6. Theyll make the playoffs though... So I guess thats all that matters in the end.
  15. JROD
    249. Posted by JROD Mon Nov 2 4:28pm EST

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    #237 was possibly the most moronic post I've ever read. The Broncos have sold out every home game since the Merger and we have a fair weather fan base? This is coming from a guy whose team almost didn't sell out the Monday Night Game against a division rival?? You really wanna talk about fair weather fan bases? Take a look at your own
  16. black757
    248. Posted by black757 Mon Nov 2 4:26pm EST

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    okay #236 you say the broncos may win 4 more games that's a 10-6 winning season....if i would have told you denver would end up 10-6 in late july early aug....you would have called me crazy. You say they are going to choke just like the last 2 seasons, this is a totally different team from last year.....the chargers 4-3....they are going to lose the next three games the gaints ,philly and denver...they can not stop the run and the running game sucks so dallas will beat them also cinn will beat them, yesterday they only beat oak by 8......24-16........broncos 12-4 at worst 11-5.......chargers 8-8 or 9-7 no playoffs.................................
  17. Charles
    247. Posted by Charles Mon Nov 2 4:22pm EST

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    denver has the biggest fair weather fan base in the country, bar none...

    Really? Have you ever been to a Chargers game? There was as much black and silver in the stands as powder blue yesterday. Every home game it comes down to the wire as to whether the chargers will sell enough tickets to not get blacked out. It's sunny and 80 degrees for every game, and the local TV station has to buy the last 2000 tickets of every game just to get the game on the air. There are empty seats everywhere. I Was on the 40 yard line, 10th row, and the two seats in front of me were empty until a couple from the nosebleeds came down to sit in them.

    It can be 10 below, snowing enough to freeze hell over, and Denver still sells tickets. You don't see Invesco full of Raider or Charger colors when those teams come to play in Denver.

    San Diego defines the term fair weather fan. Watch any Chargers or Padres game if you don't know what it means.
  18. King Tello
    246. Posted by King Tello Mon Nov 2 4:16pm EST

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    Ray rice!!!
  19. J
    245. Posted by J Mon Nov 2 3:46pm EST

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    I see the Broncos beating the Raiders, KC twice, San Diego, and the Giants the way the G-men are playing right now. Either way, I'm smelling the playoffs right now. By the wild chance that the Broncos don't make the playoffs, they've still had a successful season. No one is laughing at 'em now! All the pundits who criticized the trade and McD (hello, anyone seen Jamie Dukes flapping his gums about Denver lately?) are real quiet now. #234, I thought it was fitting and good that McD showed some emotion after the Pats win. Why pretend that it's no big deal? It was a huge win, particularly when folks said NE would expose the Broncos. As for the loss, I'm not too bothered. Even if we drop two in a row, we're in good shape for the playoffs. No one expected an undefeated season.
  20. Larry M
    244. Posted by Larry M Mon Nov 2 3:29pm EST

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    in 3 weeks after the chargers annihilate the donkeys, the donkey band wagon will become the Av's bandwagon(until the sharks kick it into gear). denver has the biggest fair weather fan base in the country, bar none
  21. SCSF- LA where repeats and 3-peats happen!
    243. Posted by SCSF- LA where repeats and 3-peats happen! Mon Nov 2 3:15pm EST

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    Denver has pitts,wash, chargers,gaints,kc, colts,oak,phiily, kc - I don't know were your 6 wins are gonna come from? maybe four wins if lucky KCx2 Oak Wash

    Chargers are playing their best ball and healthier then any point of the season, mean while Donkeys just lost their best OL to injury and their tape on how to beat them....... we'll see but it sounds like your counting chickens before their hatched.... can I ask you if you had the Broncos choken away the last half of last years season....?
  22. Matthew F
    242. Posted by Matthew F Mon Nov 2 3:04pm EST

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    Hey Brian T a loss is a loss but for the last 3 weeks all i hear from all of the Ravens fan is we were screwed, the refs hate us, waaa waaa, b*tch and moan. Its funny comming from the other way isnt it. Ha ha.
  23. <i>muhfugguh</i>
    241. Posted by muhfugguh Mon Nov 2 3:00pm EST

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    As a bronco fan I'm not gonna say a DAMMN thing about playoffs unless the broncos actually have a playoff game coming up. I think they're lucky to be 6-1, played all the good teams at the right time and got a break against the bengals, a couple kick returns against san diego and what was expected against the ravens,but waht's done is done. The schedule coming up doesn't look favorable, but fortunately, the chargers still have a tough schedule, so maybe, just maybe, but after last year, and the way the chargers always seem to pick it up in the second half, I'd feel more comfortable if the chargers were 0-7. because, (1)the broncos really only have a pass rush for defense (2)royal is the only truly explosive player, without him the chargers would've probably beat us like the ravens did,and (3)the team, including the coach, and brandon marshall,is WAY too emotional to remain consistent. I liked the fact that they won against the pats, but was kinda embarrassing seeing mcdaniels fist pumping episode, that was really gay.
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