The Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens are a little more than 48 hours away from playing real football. Finally.
Last time these two teams squared off in Denver it was a total beat down. In Week 1 of 2013 Peyton Manning threw seven touchdowns and the Broncos cruised 49-27 in a game that wasn’t even that close.
So, a little more than two years later, how will Sunday’s contest go? Here are three bold predictions for the game this weekend:
No. 3 — Owen Daniels scores multiple touchdowns
https://twitter.com/aliveonarrival2/status/641644067936444416
Owen Daniels and Gary Kubiak are connected at the hip. Daniels has followed Kubes from Houston, to Baltimore, to Denver and knows this system really well. And of course Peyton Manning loves his tight end. He single handedly got Julius Thomas a monster pay day after feeding Thomas the rock the last two years. Daniels will get off to a big start on Sunday.
No. 2 — Ronnie Hillman is the star at running back
From earlier today, why #Broncos HC Gary Kubiak thinks Ronnie Hillman is on the doorstep to a "great'' season — http://t.co/qbD5MkZkIs
— Jeff Legwold (@Jeff_Legwold) September 7, 2015
Anyone who’s payed coach attention to Kubiak’s press conferences this preseason knows he loves Hillman. While C.J. Anderson is the clear No. 1 back, it’s a good bet Hillman will get 10-15 carries on Sunday. He’ll make the most of those, rushing for 70-80 yards and a touchdown, which, given the workload (or lack thereof) will turn out to be a huge day.
No. 1 — Shane Ray has a multi-sack game
Ok, I'm officially ready to watch Shane Ray play against first stringers
— Robin Carlin (@robincarlin) September 4, 2015
Talk all you want about Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware (and you should talk about those guys) but with all the attention they’ll get from the Baltimore offensive line on Sunday someone has to break out — and it’ll be Ray. Wade Phillips has made it very clear he’ll get the trio on the field together a bunch this season; look for that on Sunday with Ray the biggest beneficiary.