Evenly matched at 5-3 going into their game Sunday, the Denver Broncos featured the number one defense against the number one offense in the NFL in Baltimore. It also had the two best quarterbacks, with Lamar Jackson named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month in October and Bo Nix the AFC Rookie of the Month in October. Although evenly matched going in, the results couldn’t be any further apart in the end, with the Broncos losing 41-10. 

After winning five of their previous six games, the Denver Broncos were never battle-tested against a team that wasn’t at the bottom of their division. Baltimore was their litmus test. After losing to the last-place Cleveland Browns the previous Sunday, the Broncos had every indication they could hand the Ravens their second straight loss while going for their fourth road victory. 

For the second straight week, wide receiver Lil’ Jordan Humphrey caused a turnover on the game’s second play, deep in the opponent’s territory, setting the tone. The energy was high for both teams, and the game was still competitive in the first half. But a strong dose of Ravens’ running back Derick Henry, the ground game, and chunk plays in the passing game by Lamar Jackson gradually put the game out of reach for the Broncos.

“They beat us and they won, and you can’t take anything away from that,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “We didn’t execute the way we needed to execute to be able to win, and that is a really good team over there. However, I feel like we missed some opportunities. I feel like [we] didn’t capitalize on some opportunities that we really had.”

Sutton had his second straight 100+ yard receiving game for the first time in his career after catching seven passes for 122 yards. His longest catch was for 33 yards on a drive that led to a Bo Nix rushing touchdown that was negated after a Broncos penalty. The Broncos would settle for a field goal. Sutton almost threw for the Bronco’s only touchdown on the day on a trick play to Nix, who caught the touchdown reception.

“I think for us, it’s on us to be able to figure out our identity in these playoff[-type] games,” said who served as a wide receiver and quarterback. “We’ve had success in some of these other games, but I think in this atmosphere going against a team like Baltimore and then walking into Kansas City next week, we have to figure out the way to be able to maximize our opportunities whenever they do arise in every phase of the game.” 

Nix finished with 19 completions for 223 yards, one touchdown, and one interception for a quarterback rating 65.6. He also ran six times for 36 yards and had one reception for a touchdown. His longest run was for 15 yards. The running backs combined for 122 yards rushing, with Javonte Williams finishing with 44 yards and Audric Estime adding 35 yards on the ground.  

“It’s no fun. You never want to lose games like this. You never want to lose, period, but obviously that’s inevitable sometimes. But you don’t want to lose like this. It is miserable, and we do have to face it. You either sit there and you point the finger at somebody else or you sit there and you take ownership of it.” 

The Bronco’s defense, which had been the team’s most vital point, gave up the most points of the season in Game Nine, which marks the halfway point. Ravens’ running back Derrick Henry ran for two touchdowns, including the 100th rushing touchdown of his career. Henry came into Week 9 leading the NFL in rushing with 946 yards (180 more than the Eagles’ Saquan Barkley) and nine rushing touchdowns. He finished Sunday’s win with 106 yards and two TDS on 23 carries, earning his fifth 100-yard game.

With his 100th- and 101st-career rushing touchdowns, Henry surpassed Hall of Famer Barry Sanders (99) and running backs Shaun Alexander and Marshall Faulk (100) for sole possession of eighth place in all-time rushing touchdowns.

“God has been tremendously good to me, and I’m thankful,” Henry said. “Credit to everybody who’s been a part of my career [and] to help me get to this milestone. Barry Sanders is like a running back superhero, so that’s very cool. I don’t take it for granted.”

With the win, the Ravens advance to 6-3, one game behind Russell Wilson, and the Steelers in first place at 6-2. They will quickly turn around and face the 4-5 Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. The Broncos sink to third place in the AFC West at 5-4, one game behind the L.A. Chargers at 5-3 in second place. 

The Broncos will travel to Kansas City on Sunday to face the 8-0 Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are the defending world champions and the only undefeated team in the NFL. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs the last time they played in December, 24-9. The Chiefs won their previous game on Monday Night Football, winning in overtime 30-24 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Game time on Sunday is 11:00 AM MT. 
 
See photos from the Broncos-Ravens game at www.SportsReportNet.com).