On The Ravens Case: Battle of No. 1s when Ravens and Broncos meet
Raise your hand if you thought that the Week 5 matchup between the Ravens and the Denver Broncos would feature the No. 1 passing attack (Denver) vs the No. 1 pass defense (Baltimore) in the NFL. That is exactly what you will see on Sunday as Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton leads his group of wide receivers into M&T Bank Stadium to take on Ray Lewis and Co.
I'm not sure which is more surprising. Is it Orton, who was given up on in Chicago, leading the league in passing yards and attempts (and tied for second in completions) with a group of WRs that does not include Brandon Marshall any more? Or is it the Ravens defense - for years one of the league's best at stopping the run - now shutting down opponent passing attacks?
The Ravens defense - and secondary in particular - has been impressive considering that one of the greatest safeties of all time, Ed Reed, is standing on the sideline looking more like an assistant coach than a guy who will be someday enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tom Zbikowski deserves a ton of credit for the job he's done while filling in for Reed during his six-game absence on the Physically Unable to Perform list. While no one is ready to vote Zbikowski into the Ravens Ring of Honor just yet, it is clear that he's done a very solid job.
Both Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb, who both returned from knee surgery that ended their 2009 campaigns, have been impressive so far. While the Ravens would like to see the total number of turnovers and interceptions increase from their defense, the pass defense has been a big reason why the Ravens are 3-1 and leading the AFC North.
Brandon Lloyd, Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney and Demaryius Thomas are not necessarily household names in the receiver-rich NFL, like Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, etc., but they should be. A great example is Lloyd - on his fourth team since being drafted by the 49ers in 2003 - second only to Wayne for receiving yards in the NFL in 2010. Lloyd became one of Orton's favorite targets when both were with the Bears in 2008. After that season, Orton was traded to the Broncos for quarterback Jay Cutler, and Lloyd re-joined him after signing as a free agent.
The Ravens secondary will get a stern test on Sunday as they face the high-flying Broncos offense. When the game is over, we will have a better idea of which team stays No. 1 in their respective category.
