Russell Street Report Street Talk Ravens-Broncos: 5 Things to Watch

The Ravens return home against the surprising Denver Broncos for a Week 3 matchup. Baltimore is looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Bengals. Meanwhile, Denver has impressive wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders.

Here are five things to watch:

1. The Ravens’ defense was in disarray when linebacker C.J. Mosley left the game against the Bengals with a bone bruise in his knee. Mosley is in charge of calling the plays and there appeared to be a communication gap without him. Safety Eric Weddle will take over those responsibilities this week against Denver. However, there could be some challenges because he is stationed in the secondary. The Ravens need to make sure they are in the proper coverage to avoid getting burned again.

2. Broncos linebacker Von Miller has the ability to take over a game. He leads the league with four sacks and will be a disruptive force against the Ravens’ offensive line. Quarterback Joe Flacco was sacked four times last week against the Bengals and Denver will use the same high-pressure game plan. The challenge will be on Flacco to get the ball out early because the Ravens don’t have a good matchup on the offensive line against the Pro Bowl linebacker. Complicating matters, Ronnie Stanley was limited in practice on Wednesday.

Look for Nick Boyle to provide blocking support throughout the game.

3. The Ravens need to get the running game cranked up to control the tempo of the game. So far, the rushing attack has been grounded. Alex Collins has been held to 48 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown and fumble. Denver is ranked sixth against the run and will be another difficult challenge. Nonetheless, look for the Ravens to show a bigger commitment to the running game.

4. The Ravens have scored a touchdown in all nine attempts inside the red zone this season, which ranks first in the NFL. In addition, the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs are the only NFL teams to remain perfect scoring touchdowns when inside the 20. If Flacco and the rest of the offense can maintain that success, the Broncos could have trouble keeping pace, especially on the road.

“What I’m seeing is good players,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I think we have guys making plays, and we ran the ball in a few times, and that’s big to our running backs and our offensive line. But man, you don’t want to start patting yourself on the back.”

5. Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay has been one of the biggest surprises of the early season. He is the first undrafted rookie to gain 100 yards from scrimmage in each of his first two games. Lindsay in ranked third in the league with 178 yards, but has yet to score a touchdown. The Ravens have been uneven against the run, ranked 15th in the NFL, allowing 95.5 yards per game.

The onus is on defensive tackle Brandon Williams to be the key run-stopper. However, he must perform better than he has the last two weeks. Bengals running back Joe Mixon had 84 yards on 21 carries, despite dealing with some injuries. A healthy Lindsay will be an even bigger challenge.

PREDICTION

The home-field advantage and extra rest benefits the Ravens. Broncos quarterback Case Keenum will have some struggles against a Ravens secondary that is looking to have a big game after the struggles in Cincinnati.

Ravens 24, Broncos 17