The Broncos game plan for beating the Ravens in Week 4

The Denver Broncos are one of five 3-0 teams in the NFL after three weeks. That gives them a 75 percent chance of making the playoffs, but there’s a lot of football left to be played. On Sunday, they are at home to face a strong Baltimore Ravens team.

This is the toughest opponent the Broncos have faced so far this year. The schedule is a lot less kind coming up, and the Broncos will have to pass multiple tests along the way if they are to be a playoff contender.

How will the Broncos attack the Ravens on both sides of the ball? Let’s take a look.

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When the Broncos Run the Ball

Injuries may force rookie second-round pick Javonte Williams into a larger role this week, even though things were trending down for him after a late-game fumble against the New York Jets in Week 3. Starter Melvin Gordon is battling two injuries (ribs, lower leg) and was a limited participant in practice all week. He’s listed as questionable for this game, and that means Williams could be in line to be the starter against the Ravens.

Things weren’t all bad for Williams against the Jets. In fact, he scored the first touchdown of his NFL career early in that contest and looked good running the rock.

Javonte Williams gets the scoring started in Denver. #BroncosCountry

📺: #NYJvsDEN on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/tGE3hkAGFX

— NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2021

Using toss plays can be an effective way to use Williams. This is going to be a challenge for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, and he must have the correct play designs to win. Williams is a big back, but that doesn’t mean he’s stuck as an inside runner. If called at the right time, getting Williams in space could create an explosive play for the Broncos.

The Ravens defense is going to blitz early and often – and that doesn’t just mean on passing plays. They’ll run blitz to shut down the Broncos rushing attack too. The Ravens currently rank no.8 in the NFL in terms of rushing defense and only allow an average of 79.0 rushing yards per game. However, I can’t tell if that’s because they’re a good rushing defense or if it’s because they are so terrible against the pass.

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When the Broncos Pass the Ball

There is no doubt that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is playing great football. All the doubters and the naysayers are quiet right now, and those making bad videos about how great Drew Lock is (when he was never that guy) are now praising Bridgewater like they were on board from day one (when they weren’t). Not only is Bridgewater doing his work as a short-to-intermediate passer, but he’s also one of the best deep-ball passers in the league this season.

A large part of his success through the air comes when he is targeting Tim Patrick. The Broncos are fortunate to have a player like Patrick on the roster. He’s big. He’s fast. He’s physical – and he’s arguably their best receiver. Patrick can dominate when the ball is in the air and has what scouts call “my ball” mentality – meaning when the ball is in the air it’s his.

A damn good NFL receiver.

😤 @Tpstreets 😤 pic.twitter.com/PYQFSLznb1

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 28, 2021

Keeping Patrick fed is a large part of the gameplan against the Ravens, but the Broncos also have to feed Courltand Sutton on Sunday. Without K.J. Hamler for the rest of the season, the Broncos receiving corps turns into a two-man show until Jerry Jeudy gets back later this year. It’s a good thing the Broncos feature stars like Patrick and Sutton to put on that show.

The Ravens pass defense is one of the worst in the league. They blitz all the time because the back end of their defense is weak. A bad and injury-riddled secondary is what the Broncos will be facing on Sunday, and they can take advantage of a defense that ranks no.30 in the league by averaging 314.7 passing yards per game.

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When the Ravens Run the Ball

I don’t think the Broncos have an answer for quarterback Lamar Jackson – few teams (if any) do. However, a back injury kept Jackson out of practice for two days this week and it is a concern. Jackson was able to practice on Friday and will play on Sunday, but how effective can he be?

Not only is Jackson their leading rusher in terms of yards (251) but he also leads them in attempts (35) after three games. On average, Jackson gets about 10 rushing attempts per game. Some of those are designed runs from RPO action and some are improvised runs. Either way, Jackson has speed to take it to the house on any carry.

Here is every Lamar Jackson rushing touchdown in the NFL in two minutes.

Electric ⚡ pic.twitter.com/gpyK0PFhLR

— James Simpson (@JS_Football) September 26, 2021

If Jackson is limited by his back injury, it’s a huge boost for the Broncos. The Ravens have a running back room decimated by injury, and that’s why they’ve made several moves in free agency after the season began. Former reserve Ty’Son Williams is now their starter, but he’s backed up by seasoned veteran Latavius Murray who was let go by the New Orleans Saints when he wouldn’t accept a pay cut. For the first time this year, free agent veteran Le’Veon Bell is expected to be active for the Ravens – but don’t expect much from the former Steelers superstar because he hasn’t been “that dude” in years.

The Ravens defense is bad, so running the ball is the best way for them to eat up time of possession and limit the number of drives the Broncos offense gets. If Jackson is near full strength, then he can make explosive plays happen no matter how the game script unfolds on Sunday.

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When the Ravens Pass the Ball

As I wrote about in my early preview this week, the Ravens have speed, speed and more speed at the wide receiver position. The Broncos are going to be hypnotized by Jackson a a runner, and that could get them beat by Jackson as a passer.

The speed comes from guys like Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins and Devin Duvernay. All three receivers can blow by unsuspecting defenders, and Jackson does a good job of throwing with touch when going deep. Yes, they barely beat the Detroit Lions in Week 3 but there were four dropped touchdown passes (three by Brown, one by Watkins) that would have obviously changed the course of that contest.

Lamar Jackson with an absolute laser to the end zone 🎯

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/e5r4ij841D

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2021

The Broncos must maintain their discipline when playing against Jackson – not just because of his rushing ability but also because of how he can hurt them as a passer. The speedy receivers are one thing, but the most important part of the passing game is the biggest weakness for the Broncos defense.

Tight end Mark Andrews is one of the best in the game at his position. The Broncos defense is strong at all three levels, but the biggest weakness has been covering tight ends – and it’s been that way for years. Now, in 2021 they haven’t faced a tight end like Andrews yet. All due apologies to guys like Kyle Rudolph, James O’Shaughnessy or Tyler Kroft but they are not on the same All-Pro level that Andrews is.

Inside linebacker Alexander Johnson is coming off the biggest game of his pro career, but it was against the hapless Jets. He’s going to have his hands full on Sunday against Andrews. How he fares will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.

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