The Broncos are 5-3 at basically halfway through the season, which is a solid record in terms of Denver’s playoff hopes.
If the season ended today, the Broncos would be in as the No. 5 seed, ahead of the Ravens.
But with nine games to go, and a tough schedule in front of them, Denver has a lot of work to do in order to make the postseason for the first time since 2015.
Are the young Broncos ready for the remarkable Ravens, a huge game for Denver’s playoff hopes?
For many Broncos players, this Sunday’s game is the biggest they’ve played at the NFL level.
That’s true for rookies like Bo Nix, Troy Franklin and Devaugn Vele, but also veterans like Garett Bolles, Nik Bonitto, and even Patrick Surtain II.
Look, there haven’t been many big games in the Mile High City since 2016, the last time Denver’s playoff hopes were high. And Denver is the third-youngest team in the league this year. Meanwhile, the Ravens played in the AFC Championship Game in January and are considered one of the best teams in the NFL right now.
This week, the 5-3 Broncos fly to Baltimore to face the 5-3 Ravens, a game big enough to feature Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call.
And this game isn’t just huge because CBS’s top announcers are calling it. This contest is massive in terms of playoff implications.
Currently, the Broncos have a 55% chance of making the playoffs per NFL.com. But if they win, that improves to 74%. And a loss drops Denver’s playoff hopes to a 48% chance.
For the Ravens, they are sitting in better position, with an 87% chance right now, and that improves to a near-lock at 92% with a win.
When the game kicks off at 11 a.m. MDT on Sunday, it’ll bring together the No. 2 offense of the Ravens vs. the No. 3 defense in Denver. Baltimore scores 30.3 points per game, while the Broncos allow only 15.0 PPG.
It’s the immovable object vs. the unstoppable force, even in terms of yards per play.
The irresistible force meets the immovable object pic.twitter.com/wxnQk12iHR
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 29, 2024
Lamar Jackson, the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Month, is a dynamic threat. He has a great arm, and can take off for needed yards on the ground seemingly whenever he wants. In the month of October alone, he threw for 12 touchdowns and only one interception. Plus, the Ravens just traded for Diontae Johnson to add to his receiver room, and Derrick Henry has scored in every game this year but one.
For Denver’s defense, this presents their toughest test all year long.
This game kicks off a tough stretch for the Broncos, who have played easy teams so far
Bo Nix has been on fire, just like Jackson.
Nix won AFC Rookie of the Month of October, throwing for 870 yards and 7 touchdowns, rushing for two scores, and throwing only one interception.
But he also faced the Raiders, Chargers, Saints, and Panthers; only one of them has a realistic chance at the postseason.
The easy opponents for the Broncos haven’t just come in October, but September, too.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Denver’s faced the 4th-easiest schedule to this point. But starting with the Ravens this weekend, the Broncos second half of the season is the 8th-toughest.
And Nix will be key in terms of how the Broncos finish the season.
That comes as no surprise, given he’s the quarterback. But Nix has added pressure to continue that elite play this week to give Denver a chance of victory against a great Ravens team.
The good news for Broncos fans is Nix has a chance to go off this week. Baltimore’s pass defense is dead-last in the NFL in passing yards allowed, and 30th in passing TDs given up (17). Even with a lack of receiving depth, Nix should be able to continue his hot streak this week.
If he does, we’ll likely have a shootout between the reigning NFL MVP in Jackson, against the young, up-and-coming rookie Nix.
Denver’s chances of winning improve if the defense can get home, and especially if they can force a turnover.
The Broncos’ 30.0 sacks are second-most in the NFL right now, and their 12 takeaways are 10th. The orange and blue are winning games by winning in the trenches on both sides of the ball; can they again this week?
A win would not only improve Denver’s playoff hopes, but it would also increase their confidence going forward through the rest of the season.