OWINGS MILLS, Md. โ Everyone remembers what happened the last time the Ravens visited Denver two years ago as the defending Super Bowl champions to begin the 2013 season.
A franchise record for points allowed and an NFL record-tying seven touchdown passes thrown by Peyton Manning in a 49-27 demolition. Many forget that the Ravens actually led 17-14 at the half before the 30 minutes from hell that cornerback Jimmy Smith and many of his teammates say theyโve erased from their minds.
โMy memories of the last one? I forgot; Iโm a corner,โ said Smith while smiling. โLet me really think about this. Is that the one he put up seven on us? I did forget about that. I did.โ
Of course, much has changed on both sides as players have come and gone over the last two years. The Broncos have a new head coach in Gary Kubiak after he spent last season as Baltimoreโs offensive coordinator.
Even Manning quipped this week that the 2013 season opener had โpassed the statute of limitationsโ for discussion. The likes of Julius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Wes Welker may be gone, but the Broncos have two 2014 Pro Bowl receivers โ Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders โ and former Ravens tight end Owen Daniels to add to the mix.
And Manningโs mind is as dangerous as ever with two more years of experience under his belt since that last meeting.
โItโs a chess match out there. You give him one look, heโs going to check to a different play,โ said veteran newcomer Kyle Arrington, who faced Manning many times while playing for the New England Patriots. โShoot, it might be a dummy check. He might run the same play that he has called, and then our โquarterbackโ on our defense, Daryl [Smith], is out there doing the same thing. Itโs going to be a good matchup.โ
After finishing 23rd in pass defense and enduring a slew of injuries in the secondary in 2014, the Ravens know their secondary will be under the microscope with Smith and Lardarius Webb coming back from injuries and a new safety duo in Will Hill and veteran newcomer Kendrick Lewis on the back end of the defense. General manager Ozzie Newsome also added depth at cornerback in the offseason with the free-agent signing of Arrington and the fourth-round selection of Tray Walker.
The group will face one of its toughest tests right off the bat, with Ravens holdovers hoping for a much better showing against Manning and the Broncos this time around.
โObviously, [thereโs] a lot of eyes on our group back there,โ Smith said. โBut we have a sense of urgency just to be that voice on defense as a unit โ as a group. Going into this game, itโs a big game for us just to make sure all our communication is down and that in our first game, we actually look like the unit we want to be.โ
Thereโs plenty of unknown on each side.
Is Smith fully recovered from a Lisfranc injury that short-circuited what was shaping up to be a Pro Bowl campaign last October? If so, is he ready to shadow the explosive Thomas all over the field?
Will Webb be ready to play at a high level after missing the entire preseason with a nagging hamstring injury, the latest ailment to plague him over these last few years? Can the combination of Hill and Lewis stop the revolving door we saw at the safety position a year ago?
The Broncos offense might be more of a mystery with Kubiak attempting to marry his West Coast offense with his future Hall of Fame quarterbackโs strengths โ and obvious limitations โ at age 39. The offensive line features new ingredients and is without Pro Bowl left tackle Ryan Clady after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in May.
The last time we saw Manning in a meaningful game, he looked old and was playing with a torn quadriceps in a home playoff defeat to Indianapolis. It was a performance that made nearly everyone wonder if one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history was washed up as he struggled to push the ball down the field to even a moderate degree.
But the Ravens arenโt buying into the idea that Manning is finished after watching him this preseason.
โHeโs wearing No. 18. Heโs patting the ball. Heโs making checks,โ head coach John Harbaugh said. โHeโs under center a little more than he has been in the past, but we donโt know what weโre going to get in terms of scheme. Weโve just have to anticipate and play our game and play the way we want to play. He looks as good as ever from the reps that Iโve seen.โ
Even as he enters his 18th year in the NFL, Manning still carries an aura that can grab hold of a defense trying its best not to let him deliver the knockout blow. But that thinking could prove dangerous in Kubiakโs system that always employs a strong running game.
The Ravens hold the longest active streak in the NFL by not allowing a 100-yard rusher in 26 consecutive games. Itโs a stat that was even mentioned by Manning in his conference call with the Baltimore media, making you wonder if Kubiak and Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison will spread the Ravens out before trying to gash them in the running game.
Denver feels so good about its ground attack led by starter C.J. Anderson and backup Ronnie Hillman that 2013 second-round pick Montee Ball was cut over the weekend. The Ravensโ front seven will carry the burden of not only putting pressure on Manning but making sure the Broncos donโt run all over them on Sunday.
โItโs always going to be Garyโs offense,โ defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. โItโs always going to be Garyโs philosophy that theyโre going to have a good running team. Even [if you] forget Gary, even back when the Colts had Manning and you think clear back to when he was in Indianapolis, they still could run the ball.โ
The schedule-makers did the Ravens no favors with five of their first seven games coming on the road in 2015, and theyโre likely to see Manning at his best from a physical standpoint on Sunday. With his well-documented neck surgeries and struggles playing in cold weather, thereโs no disputing that teams have better odds against Manning later in the season. The Ravens exploited that reality when they won in Denver in a double-overtime thriller in the 2012 divisional round en route to their Super Bowl XLVII title.
Since signing with the Broncos in 2012, Manning has thrown 47 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 14 home games played in September and October compared to only 23 touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 regular-season home games played in the second half of seasons.
But the Ravens canโt dwell on the timing of the matchup. They have too much to prove in putting the memory of two years ago behind them as well as getting the 2015 season off on the right foot.
โHeโs going to be dangerous. Heโs still Peyton Manning, no matter what,โ Smith said. โAll the hoopla about him in December compared to September, obviously, itโs real. But thatโs none of my concern. I know weโve got him Week 1, and heโs going to be ready Week 1. Thatโs all of our concern.โ
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Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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