The Baltimore Ravens will be back home in Week 9 after a two-game road stint where they will take on the Denver Broncos. Both teams have won five of their last six games, but the Ravens are coming off a shocking loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 and will look to bounce back against a formidable opponent in the playoffs. A win moves them to 6-3 and keeps them just one game back of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the division standings.

Here are five keys essential to the Ravens’ success in Week 9.

Be more efficient offensively on early downs

The Ravens’ offense has been virtually unstoppable since their 0-2 start, but last week against the Browns they found it much more difficult to move the ball consistently. They were a dismal 2 of 10 on third down and often found themselves in unfavorable long downhills and distances after being suppressed or stuffed on early downs. This week they face the third-ranked overall defense and will have to be much better and more consistent at moving the ball to first and second to avoid third down or get more controllable down movements and distances creating where most of the playbook still exists. at their disposal instead of obvious passing situations.

Stay committed to the run game with Derrick Henry

The Ravens still lead the league in rushing yards by nearly three footballs and are averaging 200 yards per game on the ground. Their inability to stick with it last week, especially with their four-time Pro Bowl clock cow despite never trailing by more than one score, is part of what led to their downfall. Henry carried the ball just 11 times and got one more touch on his lone reception for four yards and still finished with 73 rushing yards, an average of 6.6 yards per carry. This season, in games in which he has touched the ball fewer than 20 times, the Ravens are 1-3, with the lone exception being a 41-38 overtime shootout against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 that could have gone either way.

Henry leads the league in rushing with nearly 200 yards with 946 in eight games. Not only is he the offense’s finisher when they need to bite the clock to hold a lead and secure a win, but he is also a physical tone-setter whose presence shines through both early in the game and late in the game. the defense must be felt. Although the Broncos allow the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game at 106.4, they have yet to face a rushing attack as dominant and diverse as the one they will face Sunday in Baltimore led by Henry and reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Go back to playing dominant run defense

Even though the Ravens rank last in pass defense and first in fewest rushing yards allowed with an average of just 69.9, the Broncos will still look to establish the run to mainly improve their offensive and to get play action passing game going. Baltimore’s defensive line is broken and ailing, with Nnamdi Madubuike the only healthy player at the position not on the injury report, while Travis Jones and Broderick Washington are dealing with ankle and knee injuries respectively and nose tackle Michael Pierce is on the injured reserve was placed earlier in the week.

Expect the Broncos to try to gain some traction on the ground with their near-middle-of-the-pack rushing attack to test the Ravens between the tackles, especially where they have been prone to consistently giving up several chunk runs during their last two games. They have allowed 205 total yards in that span, while allowing just 59 yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry through the first six games. The Browns were able to limit the number of possessions for the Ravens’ high-octane offense, which ranks second in scoring, by keeping them off the field for extended periods of time with sometimes long sustained drives, including the mixing some healthy runs and short tests. -yardage conversions.

Keep getting answers for the blitz

In the past, during the first few years of Jackson’s tenure as the Ravens’ starting franchise quarterback, the best formula to disrupt him and the offense as a whole was to blitz both against the run and especially the pass where he would sometimes rush or delivering incorrect throws. In the first year under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, the offense started playing much better against heavily blitzing teams and game plans. This season, Jackson has been the best quarterback in the league against the blitz.

According to Next Gen Stats, the two-time league MVP has the highest success rate in the NFL when blitzed, which could be deadly for the top-three Broncos defense as they blitz at the highest rate in the NFL. Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has yet to play a signal caller as dynamic or elusive as Jackson, who broke up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ blitz packages to the tune of 13 of 17 for 186 passing yards, four touchdowns with no interceptions and a passer rating of 151. The Ravens have so many weapons that Jackson can get the ball to quickly on screens and under routes and can make over-aggressive defenses make plays to turn up the heat with their explosive playmaking ability in space.

Play more disciplined in passing passes and force rookie mistakes

What was arguably just as frustrating as the dropped interceptions by the Ravens’ secondary against the Browns last week was the high frequency with which wide receivers were left uncovered or were able to get wide open with relative ease. Even with two of their top three cornerbacks out, there was no excuse for how poorly and undisciplined the defensive backfield as a whole played in coverage. This week they will face a rookie quarterback in the 2024 first round, Bo Nix, who is coming off the best part of his freshman season. Broncos head coach and offensive lineman Sean Peyton isn’t coming up with an advanced game plan for his young signal caller, so the Ravens won’t see anything too exotic. This means they should be ready to succeed as long as they can play tight in coverage and play the ball when presenting themselves and in contested catching situations.

The secondary is slated to have both three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey and first-round rookie Nate Wiggins back for this game, which bodes well for their ability to play much better in coverage and take the ball away. Humphrey leads the team with four career interceptions, while Wiggins has gotten better with every game he plays. Veteran free safety Marcus Williams’ return to action, whether it’s back in a full-time starting role or as part of a rotation with one or more of his teammates, his playmaking ability could prove crucial against a first-year quarterback and his former head coach from his time with the New Orleans Saints to start his career.