Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) celebrates in front of Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams (55) and safety Brian Dawkins (20) after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The Denver Broncos‘ fortitude was tested against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. Their depth is next on the list.

Head coach Josh McDaniels has already ruled out five key defensive players for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets: safeties Darcel McBath (ankle) and Brian Dawkins (knee), linebackers Wesley Woodyard (hamstring) and Robert Ayers (leg), and cornerback Andre Goodman (thigh).

The list is comprised of three starters on defense and two players who are both important backups and solid contributors on special teams (with Ayers contributing there as well). McBath, in fact, is Dawkins’ primary backup, so the Broncos will need to dig three-deep when they line up this Sunday.

Look for David Bruton to start alongside Renaldo Hill. At linebacker, it’s possible the Broncos might mix it up and move Mario Haggan outside and start Joe Mays inside, a lineup they tested several times in training camp.

Ray Rice #27 of the Baltimore Ravens scores a touchdown against the Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. Players wore pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Ravens defeated the Broncos 31-17. (Larry French/Getty Images)

“It’s huge to look into a guy’s eye in the fourth quarter and know he’s tired,” Baltimore Ravens fullback Le’Ron McClain said. “We’ve got him. We’ve worn him out.”

Le’Ron McClain is right. There’s nothing bigger for a football player than knowing you have your opponent’s number, and knowing he knows it, too. You know the feeling of defeat is seeping into your opponent’s helmet with every hit; the inevitable self-doubt is multiplying with every painful smack of shoulder pads.

Denver was eye-to-eye with Baltimore. The Broncos blinked.

“For the first time,” Josh McDaniels relented, “I thought our mental toughness was questioned.” Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Denver Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox (32) breaks up a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason (85) during the second half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

The more things change, the more they stay the same. For the Denver Broncos Sunday, Baltimore remained a House of Horrors.

The Broncos weren’t able to alter their winless record at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens took control of their Week 5 matchup against the Broncos early and never relented, defeating Denver 31-17 off a two-touchdown rushing performance by Ray Rice and a defense that shut down the Broncos’ offensive attack for all but two plays.

Quarterback Kyle Orton — the league’s leading passer heading into Week 5 — extended his streak of consecutive 300-yard passing games to three, but he and the anemic rushing offense (13 carries, 39 yards) were never able to get into any kind of rhythm. Orton relied on two passes from beyond 40 yards to Brandon Lloyd to tally Denver’s only touchdowns, as the offense rarely entered Ravens territory and only crossed the 20-yard threshold once (a drive that stalled at the 19-yard line).

The Broncos also leave with lingering injury questions. CB Andre Goodman and LB Wesley Woodyard both suffered setbacks in their return attempts. WR Demaryius Thomas left the game in the first half with a head/neck injury. S Brian Dawkins suffered a knee injury in the second half, would not return, and was seen limping after the game.

@
Broncos (2-2) @ Ravens (3-1)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
M&T Bank Stadium
11:00 a.m. MT

The Denver Broncos (2-2) travel to the East Coast to face the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) on Sunday. Kickoff at M&T is set for 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Live Blog

The Rules: Keep it clean, no insulting other commenters. Join us beginning 15 minutes before the game for the best in-game commentary in Broncos Country! GO BRONCOS!!

Coverage
The game will be broadcast on KCNC-TV (CBS4); Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Dan Fouts (color commentary) will call the game. Radio coverage is provided by KOA Radio (850 AM) with Dave Logan (play-by-play) and Brian Griese (color commentary) calling the game and Andy Lindahl reporting from the sidelines.

INACTIVES

Denver: Syd’Quan Thompson, Knowshon Moreno, Stanley Daniels, Spencer Larsen, Eric Olsen, Chris Clark, Eric Decker and Brady Quinn (3rd QB). Tim Tebow is the #2 quarterback. Russ Hochstein gets the start at left guard in Daniels’ place.

Baltimore: Tight end Dennis Pritta, offensive tackle Jared Gaither, linebacker Tavares Gooden, offensive lineman Scott Kooistra, defensive lineman Lamar Divens, defensive lineman Arthur Jones, wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth and defensive end Paul Kruger.

Weather: Sunny, 66°, light winds

Champ Bailey and Jason Hunter celebrate after they recovered a muffed Tennessee Titans kickoff. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

So we had ourselves a football game last week; an old school brawl, the Tennessee Titans gave it their all and then some. Yet they still couldn’t come away with the victory.

What people failed to notice is that I came within one point of predicting each teams score the Denver Broncos can probably beat anyone in the NFL… if they can just get their running game together. Name a player on Denver’s defense without the last name: Williams, Bailey or Ayers… Don’t look– yeah you probably got one, but name five… And although it’s not boast able in any shape or form the Broncos defense sits in the middle of the NFL in all major categories, despite facing two of the top three running backs in the league and Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts after four weeks.

2-2 is probably what most smart analytics would have the Broncos at if they were guessing these games beforehand, but Denver holding Chris Johnson to less yards than the Pittsburgh Steelers is something only I am crazy enough to predict. Though, I didn’t, I figured the secondary is where the Titans would aim their sites. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

If running back Knowshon Moreno and fullback Spencer Larsen are the ground offense’s white knight, the Broncos will have to wait at least another week for rescue.

On Friday, head coach Josh McDaniels ruled both players out for Sunday’s game against Baltimore with lingering hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively.

The Broncos’ running game wasn’t exactly dynamic the first few weeks with both of these players, so this isn’t a back-breaker. It’s time for the linemen up front to grow into the bulldozing unit of which they are physically capable.

The contract extension discussions between the Denver Broncos and All Pro cornerback Champ Bailey have fallen apart, at least temporarily, reports FOX 31’s Josina Anderson.

Bailey and the Broncos had reportedly been holding ongoing contract discussions for weeks aimed at keeping the cornerback in Denver through 2014. Now those talks have been tabled until after the 2010 season, reports Anderson, citing Bailey’s agent Jack Reale.

“Apparently there won’t be any further discussions about Champ’s contract until at least after the season,” Reale told Anderson. “This is not our choice. This is a choice by the Broncos. We’ll respect that and move on if we have to.”

Bailey’s contract is set to expire after the 2010 season. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Video highlights from the Denver Broncos‘ Week 4 26-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton hands the ball off to Knowshon Moreno (L) during the third quarter of their NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida September 12, 2010. (REUTERS/Daron Dean)

Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno will not participate in practice Thursday, a day after making his first practice appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 2. The latest —

Time to downgrade Knowshon Moreno’s status from “hopeful” to “questionable” for Sunday’s game at Baltimore.

The Broncos’ starting running back will not practice today, coach Josh McDaniels said this morning. That, after Moreno returned to the field Wednesday for the first time since injuring his hamstring Sept. 23.

It’s sad that Moreno’s 2.8 yards per carry is a mouthwatering proposition at this point, but, put simply, it is. And the Broncos could use Moreno’s knack for escaping tackles behind the line of scrimmage against B’more this week. We’ll keep you posted.

Broncos running back Moreno questionable for Ravens game [Denver Post]

Record: 3-1
Streak: Won 2
Series vs. Denver: 4-3
Last time: Ravens, 30-7, 2009
The Line: Ravens by 7

Last year, the Denver Broncos‘ Week 8 battle in Baltimore (if you can call it a “battle”) started Denver’s horrid 2-8 streak to end the season. This year the Broncos look to put up a better fight.

Who’s hot: QB Joe Flacco. Click here to read the rest of this entry »