Five things we learned from Sunday’s win
Here are five things we learned from the Ravens’ 27-14 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. This was one of the Ravens’ bestcoached games in recent memory.
Coach John Harbaugh and his staff faced widespread criticism after a Week 2 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals — for game-planning with little imagination, for squandering the talents of running back Alex Collins and for managing the late-game clock with little urgency.
The Ravens could have fallen apart again Sunday after a demoralizing game-opening sequence that featured a sack of quarterback Joe Flacco, a blocked punt and a quick Denver touchdown.
Instead, Harbaugh’s staff answered with a superbly balanced offensive plan and a defensive rotation that held the Broncos scoreless over the final three quarters despite the absence of Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley and surging defensive tackle Michael Pierce.
Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg found numerous ways to neutralize Denver’s fearsome front seven, led by all-world pass rusher Von Miller.
The Ravens did not run for big gains, averaging just 2.8 yards on 28 carries. But Collins carried the ball seven times in the
first quarter, just two fewer that he did in the entirety of the team’s previous game, a 34-23 loss in Cincinnati. And that commitment set up the rest of the team’s attack.
By mixing throws and runs, deep balls and screens, rollouts and play-action, the Ravens prevented Miller and company from asserting themselves. Take the odd special-teams plays out of the game, and they clearly outplayed one of the more talented defenses they’ll face in 2018. The Ravens’ offensive line redeemed itself after a dismal Week 2.
Flacco appeared to be in for a long afternoon when Denver’s star rookie, Bradley Chubb, crashed past left tackle Ronnie Stanley for a sack on the second play of the game.
The Ravens’ first drive in Cincinnati ended similarly, and it was easy to envision a nightmarish repeat, with the Baltimore offensive line utterly helpless to stay in front of Miller and Chubb.
Instead, the Broncos dropped Flacco just once the rest of the game, and Miller — whom the Ravens game-planned around all week — produced as many offside penalties, two, as tackles.
Given the disappointment against Cincinnati and Miller’s potency, much-maligned right tackle James Hurst played one of the best games of his career.
“We knew we weren’t up to par last week,” he said. “And we wanted to come out and have a different outcome and know that we can play better than we did.”
Stanley also held his own despite an injured right elbow that required him to wear a brace. The brace kept slipping off, and at one point, Stanley flung it to the ground rather than exit the game in the middle of a key second-half drive.
It was a welcome display of fire from the laid-back third-year tackle, who called the victory “a get-back-on-track game for us.” The Ravens leaned on their depth to deal with C.J. Mosley’s absence.
We saw the Ravens fall apart after Mosley exited the Bengals game with a bone bruise. And the defense didn’t look so hot in the first quarter Sunday when several players bit hard on a faked handoff that set up a 35-yard end-around touchdown by Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
But the Ravens didn’t allow a point after that, and their rally was a story with many characters rather than a tale of one conquering defender.
Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith set the early tone with a sack and four quarterback hits. Rookie Kenny Young swarmed sideline to sideline for a teamhigh 10 tackles. Fellow inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor helped kill Denver’s hopes with a snap-reflex interception in the fourth quarter. Terrell Suggs made several key run stops on the Broncos’ last signifi- The Ravens’ Za’ Darius Smith sacks Broncos quarterback Case Keenum. cant drive. Safety Eric Weddle kept the machine running smoothly as fill-in signal caller.
The Ravens would certainly have a better chance to dominate with Mosley, Pierce, Willie Henry and Jimmy Smith in the lineup. But they held their own with a diminished roster and that speaks to how many good players they have on the defensive side. Mark Andrews has given the offense a surprise big-play dimension.
A muscle tissue injury hampered Andrews early in training camp, and he didn’t look like much of a player once he posted for action. While fellow rookie tight end Hayden Hurst showed off wide receiverlevel mobility and a gift for making catches