ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos know what to expect on Sunday in Baltimore.
And they also know what a win could mean for their season.
As Denver prepares for a battle with last season's top seed in the AFC, quarterback Bo Nix said the Broncos must be ready for a physical test.
"We've got to match it," Nix said Wednesday. "We know what it's going to be. We've got to match the intensity, the passion and the physicality that they're going to play with. I'm excited for the challenge, because these are the type of games that you go through and you play and they're extremely difficult and they're hard [in] the moment. When you get out of them, you grow a lot as a player. You learn a lot about yourself [and] about your team."
Nix said the Ravens have "notoriously been physical," and their offensive attack is led, in part, by a punishing running back in Derrick Henry. The Ravens rank first in rushing yards per game — averaging 200 yards per game on the ground — and also rank first in total offense and red-zone offense. Baltimore also sits in the top three in points per game and third-down percentage, and both Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson are averaging more than 6 yards per carry.
Cornerback Pat Surtain II, though, said he believes the Broncos embrace the game's physicality in a similar style to their AFC North opponents.
"There's a lot of physicality [in] that … division, of course, but we play physical ball as well, too," Surtain said. "That sorts of falls in our favor as well, too, because that's what we stand on. That's our standard: playing physical ball on both sides of the ball. It's going to be a very physical ball game, and we're going to be prepared for it."
Surtain said the Broncos "know the opponent at hand, but we're not trying to make it bigger than what it is" in a matchup of two teams with five wins.
"At the end of the day, we know Baltimore's a good team, but we believe in ourselves as well, too," Surtain said.
Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who ranks second on the team in sacks, also believes Denver's third-ranked defense is up for a difficult test on Sunday.
"I know what type of team we have," Cooper said. "I know that when we step out on Sunday, you're going to see the best of us. I know none of us are backing down. … This isn't too big for us or this isn't anything that nobody can't step up to or be ready for. I've got all full confidence in my guys, and I know we're going to handle business."
Cooper and tight end Adam Trautman both said getting a win would help the Broncos earn respect, but Denver knows it must play a cleaner brand of football than it did in Week 8 vs. Carolina.
"Certainly this will be our toughest challenge to date by far," Head Coach Sean Payton said. "This is a real, real good football team. Getting back to last week, we're not going to be able to afford a few of those errors against a good team like this."
Payton acknowledged "the games begin to gain more significance" as the season progresses, and Denver would bolster its postseason chances if the team can pull off its fourth road win of the season.
And while the task at hand will be difficult, the Broncos also know the value of heading back to Denver at 6-3.
"Ultimately, going on the road and competing and winning a game like this is special for an organization, too," Nix said. "It's not going to be easy, but we're going to be ready."
