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Week 3 of the regular season brought us an impressive 27-14 Ravens win over the Broncos. Many players stepped up and played important roles in last Sunday’s game, but who was the most valuable?
The obvious answer would be quarterback Joe Flacco, throwing for 277 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions while managing the offense well and delivering accurate strikes to his targets in the rain. There was another player on the other side of the ball who deserves a little more praise, however.
After All-Pro starting middle linebacker C.J. Mosley suffered a bone bruise in his knee against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, worries about the defense moving forward ran rampant. After Mosley’s injury, Baltimore’s defense allowed four straight touchdowns to the Bengals. The unit stiffened up in the second half, allowing only six points, but the overall performance was still concerning.
Rookie inside linebacker Kenny Young stepped up in Mosley’s absence against Denver. When watching the Ravens defense, one thing continued to jump out, and that was the speed of the rookie linebacker. Young was all over the field, defending both the run and pass and finishing with a team-leading 10 tackles.
After the Broncos offense scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, it looked to be a long day for the defense. Kenny Young and the rest of the defense rallied to keep Denver scoreless for the rest of the game, however. The middle of the defense was stout despite missing Mosley. Broncos quarterback Case Keenum was held to just 192 passing yards and zero touchdowns.
With a little over five minutes left to play and leading 27-14, the defense was able to keep the Broncos out of the end zone in the fourth quarter with a huge interception from inside linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, who also had a solid game next to Young.
With Mosley expected to return for the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football this week, Young has earned the right to start next to him. The two inside linebackers will compliment each other very well if Young continues his impressive play.