Early efficiency on offense is one of the five keys to winning Ravens vs. Broncos

The Baltimore Ravens will be back home after a two-game road trip to face the Denver Broncos in Week 9. Both teams have won five of their last six games, but the Ravens are coming off a surprising upset loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 and will look to bounce back in playoff contention against a tough opponent. A win moves them to 6-3 and just one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the division standings.

Here are five key factors to the Ravens' Week 9 win.

Be more efficient offensively on early downs

The Ravens' offense has been nearly unstoppable since their 0-2 start, but they had a much harder time moving the ball consistently last week against the Browns. They were miserably 2 out of 10 on third downs and often found themselves in awkward long downs and distances after being choked or stuffed on early downs. This week they face the third-ranked overall defense and will need to be much better and more consistent at moving the ball on first and second downs to either avoid third downs or create more manageable downs and distances, which is where most of the playbook lies stands still instead of obvious passing situations.

Stay true to the running game with Derrick Henry

The Ravens still lead the league in rushing yards by nearly three football fields and are averaging 200 yards on the ground per game. However, their failure to persevere last week, particularly as a four-time Pro Bowl star despite never trailing by more than a point, is part of what led to their downfall. Henry only carried the ball 11 times and received another touch for four yards on his only reception. He still finished with 73 rushing yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. This season, the Ravens are 1-3 in games in which he touched the ball fewer than 20 times, with the only exception being a 41-38 overtime shootout against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 could have gone either way.

Henry leads the league with nearly 200 receiving yards and 946 receiving yards in eight games. Not only is he the offense's enforcer when it comes to biding time to maintain the lead and secure a win, but he is also a physical tone-setter whose presence is felt by defenses both early and late must. Despite allowing the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game at 106.4, the Broncos have never faced a rushing attack as dominant and diverse as the one they faced Sunday in Baltimore, led by Henry and reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Facing Jackson.

Play dominant run defense again

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

Expect the Broncos to try to get some traction on the ground with their rushing attack centered in the middle of the field to test the Ravens between the tackles, especially where they are in the have been prone to giving up multiple chunk runs on a regular basis in the last two games. They have allowed a total of 205 yards in that span after averaging just 59 yards per game and 2.9 per carry through the first six games. The Browns were able to limit the number of possessions for the Ravens' high-octane offense, ranked second in scoring, by keeping them off the field for extended periods with long, sustained attacks that included some healthy ones Runs and key shorts were added – running meter conversions.

Continue to have answers to the lightning

In the past, during the early years of Jackson's tenure as the Ravens' starting quarterback, the best formula for disrupting him and the offense as a whole was to blitz against both the run and especially the pass he sometimes stormed or made missed throws. In the first year under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, the offense began to play much better against tough teams and schedules. This season, Jackson has been the league's best quarterback against the Lightning.

According to Next Gen Stats, the two-time league MVP has the highest success rate in the NFL on blitzes, which could prove fatal for the Broncos' top-three defense as they boast the highest blitz rate in the NFL. Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's unit has never played a signal caller as dynamic or elusive as Jackson, who paced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' blitzing packages 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 allow Jackson to get the ball out quickly on screens and under play lanes, and can use over-aggressive defenses to turn up the heat with their explosive playmaking abilities in space.

Be more disciplined in pass coverage and force rookie mistakes

What was arguably just as frustrating as the Ravens' secondary's missed interceptions against the Browns last week was the high frequency with which wide receivers were left uncovered or could get wide open with relative ease. Even with two of their top three cornerbacks out, there was no excuse for how poor and undisciplined the entire defensive field was in coverage. They will face a rookie quarterback this week in 2024 first-rounder Bo Nix, who is coming off the best stretch of play in his first season. Broncos head coach and offensive play-caller Sean Peyton isn't designing a sophisticated game plan for his young signal-caller, so the Ravens won't see anything too exotic. This means that as long as they are able to play tight in coverage and pass the ball in both their presentation and in contested catch situations, they should be set for success.

The secondary is scheduled to return both three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey and first-round rookie Nate Wiggins 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 interceptions, already a career-best, while Wiggins gets better with every game he plays. With veteran free safety Marcus Williams returning to action, whether as a full-time starter again or as part of a rotation with one or more of his teammates, his playmaking ability could prove crucial against a first-year quarterback his former head coach from his time with the New Orleans Saints when he began his career.