Can the Ravens get back on the winning track?

The Ravens welcome the undefeated Denver Broncos into Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium this upcoming Sunday. This is going to be a tough game, showing the Ravens if they deserve to be back in the discussion of one of the top teams in the AFC, and the NFL for that matter.

As has been the case all season, the Ravens secondary is going to be the focal point of the other team. The Broncos have some extremely talented wide receivers with the trio of Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokely, and Eddie Royal, as well as tight end Tony Scheffler. The Broncos also have some familiar names at running back, such as Correll Buckhalter, Knowshon Moreno, and LaMont Jordan, but if I were the Ravens defense, I would be more worried about their talented receiver core. Can the Ravens secondary contain these receivers, or should we expect the same kind of defensive performance that the Ravens put up against the Vikings, the Bengals, and the Patriots?

And as for the Ravens offense, we have quite a test ahead of us on this side of the ball as well. The Broncos defense is number one in the NFL in points allowed, only surrendering 11 points per game, and the number two defense overall in the NFL in total yards allowed. Hopefully the Ravens offensive line can push back the Denver defensive line, allowing for some early success on the ground so that Joe Flacco can have less pressure on him in the pocket. If the Ravens can control the ball early, then they can allow our defense to rest, and keep the Broncos' high-powered offense off the field as well. The Ravens need to balance their attack by utilizing Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and even Le'Ron McClain, our long lost fullback. By changing the pace at running back, hopefully we can keep the Broncos defense off balance.

This is going to be a tough game on both sides of the ball. I feel that the winner is going to be the team that does well in special teams and defense. If the Ravens can maintain good field position and at least finish drives with field goals instead of punts, then we should be in good shape. Otherwise, if we give someone like Eddie Royal a good chance at a return, he could burn our special teams, coming up with a big return that could send the Ravens packing with their fourth straight loss. Let's hope this doesn't happen. The Ravens have had two week to prepare for this game. Let's see what our coaching staff's game plan is this upcoming Sunday.

Brandon Marshall is the Broncos Pro Bowl wide receiver. Can the Ravens secondary stop him, or at least contain him?

All this talk about needing a new WR in Baltimore?

Before the Ravens took one regular season snap, all I heard was how bad we needed a new, top-notch wide receiver, someone such as Brandon Marshall or Anquan Boldin. But now that the Ravens are off to a hot start and playing like the best team in the NFL, I would have to seriously disagree with the opinion that the Ravens need a new receiver. Joe Flacco has been able to put the ball exactly where it needs to be, making the Ravens' receiving core look like one of the best in the league.

Let us compare.

Our best receiver, hands down, with no argument, would have to be Derrick Mason. So far this season, he has 12 receptions for 196 yards and one touchdown. Surprisingly, our next best receiver thus far has been Kelley Washington, who also has 12 receptions for 167 yards and one touchdown. And Mark Clayton has also gotten off to a decent start with nine receptions for 132 yards and one touchdown. If you would have asked me, or anyone for that matter, to predict the statistics of these three gentlemen, no one would have told you that all three of them would have been this productive thus far. I thought that they were all going to have decent numbers, but not these numbers. And to add on to these three, possibly the biggest surprise of them all would be our long lost tight end, Todd Heap, who has ten receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns. If you ask me, thank God for Ozzie Newsome for not listening to the media critics who were begging for Marshall and Boldin. Boldin has actually gotten off to a good start with 16 receptions for 171 yards and one touchdown. Even though Boldin might have a few more receptions, he is complaining about wanting a new contract which will far outweigh the $3 million that the Ravens are paying Mason. And as far as Marshall, he has gotten off to a sub-par start by his standards with 12 receptions for 128 yards and one touchdown, which is right along the same lines of Mark Clayton. Once again, Marshall is also demanding a new contract as well as having a tainted history with a lot of legal issues.

Even though I do not own any part of the Ravens, I feel as though I have saved money by the front office not going out on a limb to give up a first round draft pick to bring in one of these receivers. As we have all heard before, "In Ozzie we trust," and I will continue to trust him since I know he is going to put a winning team out there week in and week out.