A must win in week one? Absolutely.
“The Baltimore Ravens (whose quarterback’s image is plastered on the front of our football stadium) have high hopes for the 2013 season also. They have no intention of lying down just because the Broncos still have some egg on their faces.”
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On the morning show on 104.3 the Fan this morning host Vic Lombardi asserted that the Broncos home opener against the Ravens in prime time on Thursday night will be the most crucial week one tilt in franchise history. Lombardi’s right. Never before has so much been expected of the club entering the regular season and never before have they faced a team that ousted them from the playoffs in the previous system and then gone on to win the Super Bowl.
The Baltimore Ravens (whose quarterback’s image is plastered on the front of our football stadium) have high hopes for the 2013 season also. They have no intention of lying down just because the Broncos still have some egg on their faces. Their intention is to come in here and steal one – to begin their season 1-0 before facing a difficult regular season schedule in a division that will be tough as nails. If that means breaking our hearts again they’re more than happy to do that.
A loss to the Ravens in the home opener would be a crushing one – both for the Broncos and for their fans. That’s why this upcoming matchup is a “must win” game despite the fact that there are fifteen more regular season ones to follow it. It’s one of the toughest contests on the Broncos entire 2013 schedule and they’re very fortunate that they got it at home. Typically the Super Bowl champion hosts the big NFL kickoff game. Not this season. Good luck and a certain Baltimore baseball team brought the Ravens to Mile High and the Broncos must take advantage.
The Broncos will be without their two dynamic pass rushers from last year in Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller, one of whom will be lining up for the other team. Champ Bailey could miss this one, too. The game is likely to become a track meet. Denver is simply going to have to outscore the Ravens because it’s doubtful that they’ll slow Flacco and Company down. That means that Peyton Manning and his offensive toy box are going to have to come through with flying colors. Luckily it won’t be cold outside.
Were the Broncos to lose on Thursday the air would come rushing out of the emotional balloon they have spent the off-season refilling. It would take a clean sweep of the NFC East in subsequent weeks to get the Broncos back on track if the Ravens were to beat them. In the seven weeks that follow they face all four teams in that division (plus the Colts, Jags and Raiders) all before their bye. But, with a win over the Ravens the Broncos will be under far less pressure moving forward. Assuming they start 1-0, beat the Raiders, Jags and Colts, and go 2-2 against the NFC East, they would head into the bye 6-2 and looking like contenders.
