Bronco Notes: Ravens Week

Two of the top teams in the AFC will meet this week in Baltimore. The (10-3) Broncos have already clinched the AFC West and the (9-4) Ravens can secure the AFC North with a win. Both teams are playing for a 1st-round bye in the playoffs.

"We need to concentrate on what we need to do to get better," says Denver cornerback Champ Bailey. "We just need to keep plugging along and the rest will take care of itself."

Denver has won eight consecutive games, the longest current streak in the NFL. Baltimore has a 5-1 record at home, tied for the second-best mark in the AFC this season.

"I’m focused on the Baltimore Ravens and I’m not going to sit back and watch our playoff fate be based on other teams," says Ravens running back Ray Rice. "We pride ourselves on beating people and going into the playoffs strong. We’ve got to get ourselves back."

BRONCOS: Captured AFC West title for 2nd consecutive season. Have won 8 consecutive games, longest active streak in NFL.
QB Peyton Manning (3,812) needs 188 passing yards to become 1st player in NFL history with 12 4,000-yard seasons. Incl. postseason, Manning is 8-2 vs. Ravens with 19 Touchdowns and a 96.3 passer rating. Manning (30) has posted the most Touchdown passes in a single season by a Broncos Quarterback. He posted the 70th career 300-yard passing game of his career last week, the most in NFL history.
RB Knowshon Moreno posted a season-best 167 scrimmage yards last week. Moreno is averaging 120.3 scrimmage yards/game in past 3 starts.
WR Demaryius Thomas is averaging 96 receiving yards per game on the road in 2012.
WR Eric Decker has career-highs in receptions (64) and receiving yards (790) in 2012.
DE Elvis Dumervil (8) needs 2 Sacks to reach 10 for the 3rd time in his career.
LB Von Miller aims for his 7th consecutive game with Sack. Miller (16) needs 1.5 Sacks to set a single-season club record (Dumervil, 17 in 2009).
CB Champ Bailey posted his 52nd career Interception last week, the 2nd-most among active players since 1999 (Ed Reed, 61).

RAVENS: Aim for 3rd season in row with 10+ wins…Club is 4-0 all-time at home vs. Denver. The Ravens have won 15 of past 16 at home.
QB Joe Flacco has a 2-0 record vs. Denver. Flacco is 32-6 (.842) in home starts, the 5th-best record by a starting QB since 1970 (min. 20 starts). Flacco (98) needs 2 passing Touchdowns to reach 100 in his career.
RB Ray Rice totaled 133 rush yards with 2 Touchdowns in last game vs. Denver. Rice (1,417) needs 83 scrimmage yards to reach 1,500 for 4th consecutive season. He rushed for a season-best 121 yards last week.
WR Torrey Smith (93) needs 7 catches to register 100 career. Smith (753) needs 89 receiving yards to surpass rec. yards total (841) as rookie last season.
WR Anquan Boldon (10,072) reached 10,000 career receiving yards last week. Has 3 Touchdown catches in past 2.
TE Dennis Pitta (5) needs 3 Touchdown receptions to set Ravens all-time record among TEs (Todd Heap, 7 in ’05).
LB Paul Kruger has career-high 8 Sacks in 2012 & aims for 6th game in row with Sack.
DE Arthur Jones has 4.5 Sacks in past 3 games.
KR-WR Jacoby Jones has an NFL-best 33.2 Kick Return average in 2012.

This will be the AFC Game of the Week. To watch anyway.

Go Broncos!

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