Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco faces toughest Week 1 test

The Baltimore Ravens will take on the Denver Broncos at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and it’s a stern test for this team to start the season. Along with the New England Patriots, the Broncos are seen as Super Bowl favorites in the AFC, and the last time the Ravens faced the Broncos in Week 1, things didn’t go so well for them. Star quarterback Joe Flacco, in particular, will be tested against Denver, especially with Breshad Perriman’s status in doubt.

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Although Ravens head coach John Harbaugh stated that Perriman could play in Week 1, ESPN NFL Nation’s Jamison Hensley recently stated that “no one should be surprised” if the former UCF star is out until October. Given that Kamar Aiken is poised to be the team’s No. 2 receiver with Perriman out, losing their first-round pick for three or four games would be a huge blow to this offense.

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If Perriman isn’t able to play on Sunday, the Ravens will have to hope that their “Big 3” of Flacco, running back Justin Forsett, and locked-in No. 1 receiver Steve Smith Sr. can provide enough offensive fire-power to challenge an elite defense.

In 2014, the Broncos picked off 18 passes and allowed the least net yards per attempt in the NFL, as opposing offenses only mustered 5.3 yards per passing play. Furthermore, a staunch front seven comprised of the likes of Malik Jackson, Von Miller, and breakout linebacker Brandon Marshall held offenses to a meager 3.7 yards per carry.

The two biggest names on the Broncos defense are edge rushers DeMarcus Ware and Miller, but the heart of this team lies in the secondary. Chris Harris Jr. is the third-best corner in the NFL right now, and he can shut down anybody in the slot or on the outside. In fact, Harris is so good that he may have been the best cover corner in all of football last season.

That’s just one of the talented corners the Ravens defense will be going up against on Sunday. No. 2 corner Aqib Talib would be a No. 1 guy on several teams in this league, and second-year Ohio State product Bradley Roby looks poised to have a big season after flashing his potential and physical tools as a rookie. Roby can be prone to getting burned due to his rawness, but he grew into the game as the year progressed and is someone that offenses shouldn’t take too lightly.

Although the Broncos lost free safety Rahim Moore to free agency last season and will have a weakness at the safety position with strong safety T.J. Ward also out (suspension), the defense as a whole might be even better in 2015 than in 2014. Wade Phillips has all the pieces up front to assemble the league’s scariest front seven, and leaps from Sylvester Williams, Malik Jackson, and Marshall could be huge for this team. Throw in backup edge rushers Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett, and Phillips can make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

It’s what makes Flacco’s task in Week 1 so daunting. He is a good quarterback and has a strong offensive line in front of him, but he’ll be facing an amped up and dominant defense with potentially little help around him. It will be difficult to count on rookie tight end Maxx Williams and second-year pro Crockett Gillmore to do damage against the Broncos defense, so the Baltimore Ravens will have to hope that Smith Sr. and Forsett can carry the load in the passing game if Perriman is unable to suit up.

Aug 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) scrambles from New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) during the first quarter in a preseason NFL football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Flacco will have to use his arm and Smith’s vertical speed to cause the Broncos secondary problems deeper down the field, because they have to take advantage of the team’s weak spots at safety. The issue with his strategy is that it will take Smith some time to get open, especially if he has to face Harris Jr. (I have faith in him beating Roby and Talib vertically), and the Broncos generally don’t give quarterbacks time.

It should come as no surprise that the Seattle Seahawks allowed (by far) the least amount of fantasy points per game to wide receivers last season, but less people probably know that the Broncos defense surrendered the second-least fantasy points to wideouts in 2014. And with just 10.4 yards per reception allowed (!), the Broncos were stellar at avoiding big plays. In fact, according to Sporting Charts, only the Seahawks allowed fewer passes of at least 25 yards to be completed.

So the Ravens have to count on the drop-off from Moore and Ward to Darian Stewart and the new starting strong safety is steep enough if they want to get some deep passes going.

Considering how Marc Trestman ran the Chicago Bears offense last season with so many short passes to tight end Martellus Bennett and running back Matt Forte, it might be more likely for the Ravens to try to play a more ball-control style against the Broncos.

For that to work, the Ravens talented defense will have to be up to the task of stopping Peyton Manning, C.J. Anderson, Emmanuel Sanders, Demaryius Thomas, and whoever else Denver throws at them. Forsett can carry the load all on his own, but the inexperience at TE, lack of depth at WR, and lack of options behind Forsett also make this an approach with inherent flaws.

Essentially, the Ravens success in Week 1 comes down to how well Joe Flacco can lead this offense on the road against an elite defense that will be ready to pin its ears back. Players like Forsett, left tackle Eugene Monroe, star corner Jimmy Smith, and a certain “Smith” on offense will also play key roles, but Flacco is the one who faces both a lock-down secondary and a deadly pass rush.

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