Gary Kubiak will coach his first regular season game as Denver Broncos head coach against the team he served as offensive coordinator for in 2014, as the Baltimore Ravens make their second trip in three years to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to open the season.
Baltimore Ravens vs Denver Broncos
Week 1 - 09/13/15
Time: 4:25 PM ET
TV: CBS
Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Line: Broncos -4.5 (Westgate Superbook)
2014 Record
Baltimore Ravens
Overall:
10-6 (3rd, AFC North)
Home: 6-2
Road: 4-4
2014 Record
Denver Broncos
Overall:
12-4 (1st, AFC West)
Home: 8-0
Road: 4-4
Head-To-Head Record
Regular Season: Ravens lead 7-5
Playoffs: Ravens lead 2-0
At Denver: Broncos lead 4-2
Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos looks to pass in the first half of their game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on August 22, 2015 in Houston, Texas.
(Aug. 21, 2015 - Source: Scott Halleran/Getty Images North America)
Last Time Met:
Andre Caldwell #12 of the Denver Broncos catches a 28-yard pass before running in for the touchdown in front of Jimmy Smith #22 of the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter during the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 5, 2013 in Denver Colorado.
(Sept. 4, 2013 - Source: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images North America)
09/05/13 at Denver: Thanks to a scheduling conflict with baseball's Baltimore Orioles, Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens were forced to open up the defense of their title on the road against the Denver Broncos.
The Ravens knocked off the Broncos in Denver the previous January in a shocking upset in an AFC divisional playoff round. Eight months later the Broncos were looking for payback and they got it as Peyton Manning threw for a NFL record-tying seven touchdowns in a 49-27 rout.
Steve Smith Sr. #89 of the Baltimore Ravens catches a ball but was ruled out of bounds against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 21, 2014 in Houston, Texas.
(Dec. 20, 2014 - Source: Bob Levey/Getty Images North America)
Starters:
| Offense | Position | NFL Experience (Seasons) |
| #11 Kamar Aiken | WR | 3 |
| #60 Eugene Monroe | LT | 7 |
| #72 Kelechi Osemele | LG | 4 |
| #53 Jeremy Zuttah | C | 8 |
| #73 Marshal Yanda | RG | 9 |
| #71 Rick Wagner | RT | 3 |
| #80 Crockett Gilmore | TE | 2 |
| #89 Steve Smith, SR | WR | 15 |
| #5 Joe Flacco | QB | 8 |
| #44 Kyle Juszcyk | FB | 3 |
| #29 Justin Forsett | RB | 8 |
| Defense | Position | NFL Experience (Seasons) |
| #97 Timmy Jernigan | LDE | 2 |
| #98 Brandon Williams | NT | 3 |
| #99 Chris Canty | RDE | 11 |
| #55 Terrell Suggs | LOLB | 13 |
| #57 C.J. Mosley | LILB | 2 |
| #51 Daryl Smith | RILB | 12 |
| #91 Courtney Upshaw | ROLB | 4 |
| #21 Lardarius Webb | LCB | 7 |
| #33 Will Hill | SS | 4 |
| #23 Kendrick Lewis | FS | 6 |
| #22 Jimmy Smith | RCB | 5 |
| Special Teams | Position | NFL Experience (Seasons) |
| #9 Justin Tucker | K | 4 |
| #4 Sam Koch | P, H | 10 |
| #46 Morgan Cox | LS | 6 |
| #15 Michael Campanaro | KOR, PR | 2 |
Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos calls out to his teammates behind center against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half during the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 5, 2013 in Denver Colorado.
(Sept. 4, 2013 - Source: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images North America)
| Offense | Position | NFL Experience (Seasons) |
| #88 Demaryius Thomas | WR | 6 |
| #74 Ty Sambrailo | LT | R |
| #69 Evan Mathis | RT | 10 |
| #61 Matt Paradis | C | 1 |
| #65 Louis Vasquez | RG | 7 |
| #68 Ryan Harris | RT | 9 |
| #81 Owen Daniels | TE | 10 |
| #10 Emmanuel Sanders | WR | 6 |
| #18 Peyton Manning | QB | 18 |
| #80 James Casey | FB | 7 |
| #22 C.J. Anderson | RB | 3 |
| Defense | Position | NFL Experience (Season) |
| #90 Antonio Smith | LDE | 12 |
| #92 Sylvester Williams | NT | 3 |
| #97 Malik Jackson | RDE | 4 |
| #94 DeMarcus Ware | LOLB | 11 |
| #54 Brandon Marshall | LILB | 4 |
| #59 Danny Trevathan | RILB | 4 |
| #58 Von Miller | ROLB | 5 |
| #21 Aqib Talib | LCB | 8 |
| #25 Chris Harris, JR | RCB | 4 |
| #30 David Bruton, JR | SS | 7 |
| #26 Darian Stewart | FS | 6 |
| Special Teams | Position | NFL (Seasons) |
| #8 Brandon McManus | K, KO | 2 |
| #4 Britton Colquitt | P, H | 7 |
| #46 Aaron Brewer | LS | 4 |
| #10 Emmanuel Sanders | PR | 6 |
| #31 Omar Bolden | KR | 4 |
| Ravens | Broncos | |
| Total Offense (YPG) | 12th (364.9) | 4th (402.9) |
| Total Defense | 8th (336.9) | 3rd (305.2) |
| Passing | C/ATT | PCT | ATT/G | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | Sacks | Rating | NFL Rank | |
| Joe Flacco | 344/544 | 62.1 | 34.6 | 3,986 | 7.2 | 27 | 12 | 19 | 91.0 | 12th | |
| Peyton Manning | 395/597 | 66.2 | 37.3 | 4,727 | 7.9 | 39 | 15 | 17 | 101.5 | 4th | |
| Rushing | CAR | CAR/G | YDS | AVG | YDS/G | Long | TD | NFL Rank | |||
| Justin Forsett | 235 | 14.7 | 1,266 | 5.4 | 79.1 | 52 | 8 | 6 | |||
| C.J. Anderson | 179 | 11.9 | 849 | 4.7 | 56.6 | 27 | 27 | 21 | |||
| Receiving | REC | YDS | AVG | YDS/G | Long | TD | NFL Rank | ||||
| Steve Smith | 79 | 1,065 | 13.5 | 66.6 | 80 | 6 | 24 | ||||
| Demaryius Thomas | 111 | 1,619 | 14.6 | 101.2 | 86 | 11 | 2 | ||||
| Tackles | TOT | Solo | NFL Rank | ||||||||
| C.J. Mosley | 133 | 89 | 7 | ||||||||
| Brandon Marshall | 113 | 91 | T-18 | ||||||||
| Sacks | TOT | NFL Rank | |||||||||
| Elvis Dumervil | 17.0 | 3 | |||||||||
| Von Miller | 14.0 | 6 | |||||||||
| Interceptions | TOT | NFL Rank | |||||||||
| C.J. Mosley | 2 | T-59 | |||||||||
| Rahim Moore | 4 | T-8 |
A Denver Broncos fan holds up a sign in the third quarter during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 5, 2013 in Denver Colorado.
(Sept. 4, 2013 - Source: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America)
What To Look For As The Broncos Take On The Ravens:
Can Peyton Manning get the new offense humming?
For the first time in his 18-year career Manning did not throw a preseason touchdown. The first-team offense never got in sync as receivers ran the wrong routes, passes would fall behind or past the intended targets, and promising drives would stall after costly penalties.
The offense is a work in progress and it may take a few games before things kick into high gear. However, the run game produced results during the preseason as C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman took quickly to head coach Gary Kubiak's one-cut rushing attack.
How quickly will the new offensive line gel?
The new-look offensive line showed promise during the preseason but the question remains over how well it will protect Manning as it learns how to operate as one unit.
Rookie left tackle Ty Sambrailo will bear the brunt of the scrutiny as he protects Manning's blind side. Sambrailo worked next to rookie left guard Max Garcia during the preseason. That will change against the Ravens as veteran All-Pro Evan Mathis, recently acquired as a free agent, will make his Broncos debut. Having Mathis next to him will aid Sambrailo in picking up blitzes and recognizing the different defensive formations.
Is the 2015 Broncos defense the best in franchise history?
It's very possible this year's defense will be the best the franchise has ever fielded.
With the pass rush combination of DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller already one of the league's best, add first-round draft pick Shane Ray, and throw all three into the highly aggressive 3-4 defense of new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and opposing quarterbacks are going to have a tough time staying off their backs.
The Broncos secondary is fielding two shut down corners in Aqib Talib and Chris Harrism along with safeties T.J. Ward (returns from suspension in Week 2) and Darian Stewart. Talib and Harris are capable of handling receivers on their own which frees up defenders for the pass rush and blitzes. The Ravens offensive line will have it's hands full coming up with ways to protect Flacco.
| Ravens | Broncos | Explanation | |
| Offense | X | The Broncos offense is in the early stages of implementation with a few bugs still to work out. This gives the opposition the advantage in the early weeks of the season. The Raven defense is always a full load to handle. For Week 1 at least, Baltimore has the advantage on offense. Advantage: Ravens | |
| Defense | X | The Ravens' defense has been historically great with the ability to get to the quarterback while their secondary locks down the wide receivers. What the Broncos under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips have produced in 2015 is a defense that has speed at nearly every position, pass rushers in linebackers Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and rookie Shane Ray that can get to the quarterback at will, and a secondary that is second to none in covering receivers one-on-one. Advantage: Broncos | |
| Special Teams | X | The Broncos special teams struggled in the preseason, especially in the return game. Emmanuel Sanders will make his debut as a punt returner in hopes of adding some zoom into the return game. Advantage: Ravens | |
| Coaching | X | John Harbaugh is a Super Bowl winning head coach. Enough said. Advantage: Ravens |
| Baltimore Ravens | Position | Injury | Game Status |
| Chris Canty | DL | Non-injury related | Probable |
| Timmy Jernigan | DT | Knee | Doubtful |
| Rashaan Melvin | CB | Thigh | Doubtful |
| Breshad Perriman | WR | Knee | Out |
| Daryl Smith | LB | Non-injury related | Probable |
| Lorenzo Taliaferro | RB | Knee | Out |
| Denver Broncos | Position | Injury | Game Status |
| Kenny Anunike | DE | Knee | Out |
| Omar Bolden | S | Rib cage | Probable |
| Andre Caldwell | WR | Flu | Probable |
| Mitchell Henry | TE | Finger | Probable |
| Brandon Marshall | ILB | Foot | Probable |
| Lerentee McCray | OLB | Groin | Questionable |