Ravens vs Broncos: Keys to victory

The preseason and offseason are finally over with and we are getting back to regular football again. Quarterback Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens are set to face off against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos today in what should be a playoff caliber matchup.

Ravens Keys to Victory:

Get penetration

If the Ravens can get penetration on both running plays and against the pass, they will fare very well today. It will immediately make the Broncos one dimensional and force Peyton Manning to win the game himself. If they can get after him, he will make mistakes that the Ravens can turn into points.

Play in front of you

The Ravens need to do a good job of keeping the ball in front of them. Don't get too fancy and just wrap up for the tackle instead of the big hit. Denver has big bodied wide receivers capable of getting massive yards after the catch. Letting them catch short passes and keeping them short will allow the Ravens defense to get off the field instead of letting long drives happen that will tire them out.

Tight End Madness

Get the tight ends involved. Denver has one of the better defenses in the league, but the Ravens have two quick, big tight ends that can present huge matchup problems against linebackers, corners ans safeties. Getting them involved early and often will open up the outside of the field for the wide receivers and should open up running lanes for the running backs. That all combines in great play action passes that the Ravens can use to exploit the Denver safeties.

If the Ravens can do these three things, my prediction of 31-10 should come true. It is a tough test, but the Ravens are probably the most equipped team in the NFL at handling it as long as they play smart and tough all game long. GO RAVENS!