The Baltimore Ravens must now put their win against Pittsburgh in the rear-view mirror as they head home to face Denver’s Broncos on Sunday. While Joe Flacco has made strides in the last two weeks following his performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, he needs to keep the momentum moving forward on Sunday. He will be facing a defense that isn’t as highly rated as some of the ones he has already faced; the Broncos are 17th against the pass and 12th against the run. There should be some opportunities for Flacco and the offense to continue to improve on Sunday.
It has become apparent through four games this season that Cam Cameron is placing a lot of faith in Flacco’s right arm, so expect more of the same on Sunday. Flacco has done a better job, particularly last week, of spreading the ball around among his receiving targets. Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Todd Heap each had at least three receptions last week. Most teams should have difficulty keeping all of those talented receivers in check; a heavy pass rush will be needed to knock the quarterback off stride. The offensive line had one of its best games of the season last week; that will have to continue going forward if the game plan is going to feature a heavy dose of passes.
It would be nice to see the running game get going, no matter who is in the backfield getting the carries. Ray Rice has yet to have a breakout game this season, but he may find the going tough against a Broncos defense that limited Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans to 53 yards last week. Rice may also figure in the passing attack as well. However, a steady dose of the running game will be needed, if only to keep the Broncos defense honest. Last week the Ravens didn’t do a whole lot on the ground against the Steelers, but it did enough to keep the Steelers defense off stride for much of the game. It would also be nice to see some additional touches for McGahee and especially Le’Ron McClain, particularly if the Ravens are holding a lead late in the game.
The Ravens offense after four weeks still seems to be a work in progress; another solid performance against Denver will be another step forward toward becoming a unit that is as respected as the defense currently is.
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