The Denver Broncos will try to stay undefeated as they head to the east coast in Week 3 to face the Baltimore Ravens. Game time is at 1:00 EST on Sunday, September 23, at M&T Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Fans in local markets will be able to watch the game on CBS.
Looking at the Week 3 NFL odds, the Ravens are listed as 5-point favorites at home. That line has moved slightly in Denver’s favor after Baltimore opened as 5.5-point favorites. The over/under for the game is set at 43 points.
It’s tough to know what to make of the Ravens after two games. They had an easy time disposing of the Bills in Week 1. But it looks like a lot of teams will have an easy time beating Buffalo this season. In Week 2, the Ravens hit the road on a Thursday night and came out flat. Baltimore fell behind 21-0 and committed three turnovers on the way to a 34-23 loss to the Bengals. With one great performance and one disappointing performance, the real Ravens may be somewhere in the middle.
Denver, meanwhile, has managed to squeak out a pair of wins to start the season 2-0. New quarterback Case Keenum has not looked particularly impressive. However, he’s delivered in crunch time, orchestrating game-winning drives in the 4th quarter against both the Seahawks and Raiders. Despite being unable to put together four good quarters in a row, the Broncos have done enough to be 2-0, albeit with both games coming at home.
Even at 2-0, the Broncos can’t get too relaxed, as they share a division with another 2-0, the Chiefs. Denver also got off to a 3-1 start last season before things fell apart, so the Broncos don’t want to buy into their own hype too much. Baltimore is in a similar position, as they are already looking up in their division at the 2-0 Bengals. The underachieving Steelers are also likely to be contenders in the AFC North. Also, Baltimore hits the road for three straight games after this week, so they need to capitalize on a chance to get a win at home.
Admittedly, the Broncos haven’t won in particularly convincing or attractive fashion this season, but they’ve found a way to win both of their games. Even if Keenum can’t lead another game-winning drive, the Broncos have the pieces around him to stay competitive on the road. With an extra five points, I’ll lean toward the underdog Broncos in this game, even on the road.
While Denver’s performances early in the season leave something to be desired, I have even more questions about the Ravens. I almost want to throw out everything they did against the Bills because Buffalo may be that bad this season. Meanwhile, the Ravens had some flaws exposed against the Bengals that the Broncos could take advantage of this week.
It starts with Joe Flacco, who threw for 376 yards against Cincinnati last week. However, he needed 55 pass attempts to reach that total. Also, while Baltimore’s new contingent of receivers appears to be an upgrade from last season, the Broncos have three capable cornerbacks in Chris Harris, Bradley Robey, and Adam Jones, so I don’t expect those receivers to be running wild against Denver’s secondary.
The Baltimore running game is also unproven after two games. Even against the Bills, the Ravens weren’t that productive on the ground once you take away Lamar Jackson’s scrambles late in the game. The Denver defense is also built to stop the run because they trust their corners to cover one-on-one. Plus, once the Broncos force teams into passing situations, they have an outstanding pass rush led by Von Miller. The Ravens allowed Flacco to get sacked four times last week, and he could be under similar pressure this week if the Ravens can’t be more productive running the ball.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens were shredded by Andy Dalton and the Bengals last week. Dalton threw for over 250 yards and four touchdowns, with three of them going to A.J. Green, who gave the Baltimore defense headaches all night. This week, the Ravens will have to contend with a team that has two marquee receivers in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas.
On top of that, the Broncos have one of the best running games in the NFL after two weeks. The Baltimore defense should expect a challenge both on the ground and through the air. The Ravens allowed over 100 yards on the ground against Cincinnati last week, nor were they able to record a sack on Dalton. Those are two glaring problems that could resurface this week against the Broncos.
Baltimore’s saving grace is that Keenum has struggled to protect the ball at times, already throwing four interceptions this season. That could give the Ravens a window to seize control of the game. However, if Keenum is able to protect the ball, I expect the Broncos to be in another close game. Win or lose, Denver should be able to beat the 5-point spread.