OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Sunday at the Bank, the 5-3 Denver Broncos come to upset a Ravens team looking to bounce back from a loss this past Sunday. Something they hadn't felt since week two.
This game will feature the league's best offense in the Ravens and a top-10 defense in the Broncos.
While the Ravens look to return to the win column — this week could present some challenges offensively. The Broncos rank seventh against the rush and fourth against the pass.
"[The Broncos defense] is playing at a really high level. [They're] very confident. Their guys are really active; they play hard. That's one thing you see on film. They've done a great job of building the core personalities of the players they've got playing on the field – I think that's impressive [and] how hard they play and schematically how they challenge you with their pressure package. We're up for it; our guys are excited. We've seen that for the last four weeks. We've seen teams that have decided to pressure us. To me, that's where the league is going. Otherwise, we wouldn't be seeing it as much. So, we have to be on point with all of our IDs and where we go with the ball," says Todd Monken, Ravens offensive coordinator.
"There's not much space on film. They try to clog it up and wall it off. I think they do a great job [and] have a great penetrating front and great depth, as well. So, they're a great group, so it's going to be tough on Sunday," says Derrick Henry, Ravens running back.
For Baltimore, much of the focus remains on improving the defense and its struggles this season. Communication is one of the main struggles.
"We know that the work that we're putting in [and] the attention to detail that we're doing is going to pay off. Obviously, I sound like a broken record – I've been saying that for a couple of weeks – but I honestly, truly believe that with the coaches and the players that we have, it's going [to] come together, and it's going [to] come together at the right time, and it's going [to] be big for us down this last half of the season," says Zach Orr, Ravens defensive coordinator.
As for the secondary, many are wondering if Marcus Williams will return to the field this Sunday after receiving a DNP a week ago.
"One thing I'll say about Marcus – the way he handled what went down is great. He's just a great teammate. He's been a pro since he's been here. He handled last week like a pro, so I'm excited to see how we move and how he moves going forward. Like I said, like I got up here and said last week, I've got all the confidence in Marcus Williams. Like I said, he had a great day at practice today [and] a great day at practice yesterday, and I think that the best is to come for him," says Orr.
The Ravens have won their last three match-ups against the Broncos, winning a low-scoring 10-9 slugfest back in 2022.
Kickoff is at 1:00 pm this Sunday.
