Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver take on the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.
Live updates
Pre-game updates
Good morning from Baltimore (9:26 a.m.): It’s a picture-perfect day in Charm City. And a big one on tap between the 5-3 Ravens and the 5-3 Broncos. This is pretty easily Denver’s biggest test of the year. Good-on-good between Denver’s defense and Baltimore’s offense and question-on-question between Baltimore’s secondary and the Broncos’ passing offense. — Gabriel
Scouting report (9 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Ravens in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.
Game predictions
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Ravens 26, Broncos 17
The Broncos have done exactly what they’re supposed to so far and then some. They’ve beaten bad teams and taken advantage of breaks the schedule has thrown their way. They’ve also found a way to win three road games. That’s the recipe for a good start behind a dominant defense, terrific special teams and an offense that’s done just enough. They’ll need more, though, the next three weeks. They can slow Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and company in ways not many defenses can. Can the offense do enough to keep pace? That part still seems aspirational.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 27, Ravens 24
I might be against everyone else, but who cares? Yes, it’s going to be hard to contain the Ravens offense for four quarters. But Baltimore’s pass defense has been shaky, which should provide hope for the Broncos. If Sean Payton follows the same script as the Tampa Bay game and attacks Baltimore’s weakness from the jump, Denver has a chance to prove the doubters wrong.
Troy Renck, columnist: Ravens 27, Broncos 22
The Broncos have played a Charmin-soft schedule, which means the wise guys believe they will need Kleenex after this one. Denver is a heavy underdog, facing a Ravens team ready to play bully ball. Something about this Denver team is different. The players have confidence, an edge. The Broncos won’t flinch; they will make Lamar Jackson one-dimensional, but Denver’s inability to connect on deep strikes will prove the difference. Denver will look back on this game as the moment it knew it could contend in the AFC and turn it into future wins. But it won’t happen Sunday.
Sean Keeler, columnist: Ravens 24, Broncos 20
Can the Broncos win a game in which Bo Nix has to throw it 42 times or more? They’re not there yet. And he’s probably not there yet … don’t let that Shedeur Sanders-esque passing line against Carolina fool you. The Ravens are usually good for about three inexplicable losses in a given regular season. But sadly, they’ve already used up two of them, and the taste of that Cleveland stinker is still fresh in too many mouths.
Broncos-Ravens NFL Week 9: Must-reads
Renck: Broncos’ Bo Nix can prove he is franchise quarterback with big performance vs. Ravens
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The costume spoke volumes.
At a Halloween party this week, Bo Nix and his wife, Izzy, wore “Top Gun”-inspired outfits. Decked out in a leather bomber jacket with sunglasses and a crew cut, Nix was Iceman.
Ferris Bueller is fun, mischievous, an expert on shortcuts. Iceman is more Nix’s personality — confident, driven, rigid and dedicated. He is known for adhering to rules and coloring inside the lines, apt for Nix, who revealed on the Jumbotron last week that if football fell through he would have become an FBI agent.
Structure, guidelines, executing the plan — all of these things are paramount this week. Well ahead of schedule, Nix has a chance Sunday to prove he is a franchise quarterback. Read Troy Renck’s full column.
Broncos Journal: 10 observations about Denver through midway point
Ten observations about the Broncos, Bo Nix, new uniforms and other things through eight weeks of the regular season.
1. Nix can move, but that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. During the rookie quarterback’s first season at Oregon, he had 89 carries for 510 yards and 14 touchdowns. Seeing Nix translate that in the NFL has been impressive. He has recorded 196 yards and two touchdowns on 28 scrambles, according to Next Gen Stats. And when the Broncos have incorporated designed runs, Nix has been able to generate positive yardage. Nix hasn’t been perfect but his success as a runner makes you wonder about the potential of Denver’s offense once he fine-tunes other aspects of his game. Read Ryan McFadden’s full story.
Broncos’ offensive task Sunday vs. Baltimore: Control tempo, by run or by pass
In the time Sean Payton spends each week with the entire Broncos team in meetings, he typically outlines a specific version of the game to come.
This week’s recipe. These things happen, we win. They don’t, we don’t.
Like many arrows in Payton’s quiver, this one comes from Bill Parcells. Read Parker Gabriel’s full story.
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