The Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos face off on Sunday in a Week 4 NFL showdown at the Empower Field at Mile High. When these two teams last faced off in 2018, the Ravens won 27-14.
The Ravens come into this game with a 2-1 record, but it easily could be 1-2 if it wasn’t for a Justin Tucker 66 yard field goal on the last game. In the one-loss the Ravens forced overtime, and the two wins have come by a combined three points. One issue for this Ravens offense so far this been inconsistency and drops. In the last game, Lamar Jackson threw for 287 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Jackson did also hurt his back and it’s unclear if he is going to be able to go in this game. The Ravens have dealt with a ton of injuries this season but the hardest hit position has been to the running back. Outside of Jackson most of the rushing load has gone to Ty’son Williams and Latavius Murray. The team activated Rashod Bateman of the IR and the first round pick should get his first action in this game. On defense the Ravens have issues and they are currently giving up 28.3 points per game. If the defense was better, the Ravens wouldn’t have so much pressure on the offense.
On the other side of this matchup is the Denver Broncos who have played three of the worst teams in the NFL and they have won all three of the games. In the last game against the New York Jets, the defense was elite, giving up zero points. The Broncos are averaging 25.3 points per game while their defense has given up only 8.7 points. Some questioned the Broncos for choosing Teddy Bridgewater to start but he has been impressive throwing for 827 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Javonte Williams was the talk of the team heading into the season but the leading rusher has actually been Melvin Gordon who has 192 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos' defense has been quite impressive, but this is a much tougher matchup, and they need to contain Jackson and the run or this could be a long game.
The Ravens are 4-1 against the spread in their last five road games. Denver is 10-4 against the spread in their last 14 games against the AFC. The Ravens are 9-4 against the spread in their last 13 against the Broncos. The favorite is 7-1 against the spread in the last eight meetings.
This is a big step up in competition for the Broncos, and as long as Lamar Jackson plays, there are going to be some major issues. I don’t trust the Broncos offense, and this will be the first good game the Ravens' defense has. Look for the Ravens to come away with a cover of the spread.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
Mitch's Take...
