Road back to respectability starts in Ravens’ house of pain
In an NFL city that has left a big purple bruise on the Broncos, traffic came to a standstill Saturday, and everywhere you looked, there were people dressed like Ray Lewis, as a crowd of No. 52s gathered for a parade to honor the Ravens’ legendary linebacker.
For a team stuck on a bumpy road for way too long, Baltimore might be the last place the Broncos want to be.
Lewis retired from football six years ago but remains the beating heart of this proud and gritty city. He will come out dancing on the field Sunday, working the stadium into a frenzy prior to kickoff against the Broncos, then be back at halftime for what’s certain to be an emotional ceremony, as Lewis is presented with a ring commemorating his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Our city is about love! Our city is about hope! Our city is about faith! All things are possible,” shouted Lewis, preaching to the crowd on the parade route.
“If today is Ray Lewis Day, imagine God smiling right now!”
Heaven help us. Is this really where Denver’s comeback on the road begins?
The road is where Vance Joseph almost lost his job. His opening season on the Broncos sideline nearly became his final season as coach, because Denver went 17 on the road.
Even worse: The team was not even competitive on the road, being outscored 225117. (Nobody asked me, but if the Broncos did not win at Indianapolis in December for their lone road victory, I firmly believe Joseph would have been fired.)
The Broncos are 20. But they have beaten two weak foes. By a total of four points. At home.
Before Denver can be taken seriously as a playoff contender, this team must prove it has truly buried the nightmare of last season’s lastplace finish. The best way the Broncos can do it? Win on the road.
On this trip to Baltimore, maybe the Broncos could forget a toothbrush or a change of underwear without it being a disaster. But there is absolutely one thing that couldn’t be left out of the suitcase.
“We’ve got to pack our defense,” Broncos cornerback Chris Harris said. “The defense has to lead the way on the road. We have to be able to come out there and set the tone.”
The Broncos lost their reputation as an elite NFL defense on the road. They gave up 28 points per game on the road in 2017. The Eagles shattered the aura of invincibility by scoring 51. But giving up 35 points in Miami? To the Dolphins? Now there was irrefutable proof Denver’s defense had misplaced its mojo.
Every time I think of Lewis and the Broncos, it hurts. He retired with 1,336 tackles, and it only seems as if half of them resulted in a Denver player being knocked to the turf in Baltimore.
Lewis started five home games against Denver in his career. The Broncos won in 2012, when he didn’t play. Lewis, however, never lost on his home turf to Denver, winning by an average score of 307. Ouch.
He won’t suit up for the Ravens for this game. But his mere presence on the field will be enough to haunt Broncos Country with some scary flashbacks.
This will be a slugfest. It doesn’t figure to be pretty. If the Broncos want to end their futility on the road, the Denver defense better have packed its A game.
On a cloudy morning in Baltimore, Lewis sounded very much like a man running for mayor. He bellowed to the crowd: “Turn to the person you don’t know and give ’em a hug! Baltimore, we’re a city of love! Yeah, hug each other, baby!”
For the Broncos, this is a city of pain. Please don’t hurt ’em, Ray.