Denver dominated Baltimore in the teams' first meeting, four weeks ago, but it may not be that easy this time around.
While the Ravens were banged up in the Week 15 battle – Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs sat out – and the Broncos were mostly healthy up front, the tables seemed to have turned a bit.
Lewis, Baltimore's emotional leader who announced he'll retire following this postseason run, led his team with 13 tackles in their Wildcard win over the Colts on Sunday. Suggs only recorded two tackles in limited action, but even his presence is a plus for the Ravens.
For Denver, right guard Chris Kuper's health has been sub-par all season, though some are optimistic this bye week will be enough rest for his sore ankle to be good enough to play on this Saturday.
Also injured on the offensive line is Orlando Franklin, who tripped over Ronnie Hillman when the rookie running back fumbled against the Chiefs and looked to land on his shoulder. The right tackle went back into the game, but he may or may not be 100 percent.
And left tackle Ryan Clady saw the training staff last week for an undisclosed injury as well.
When the Broncos beat Baltimore handily 34-17 Knowshon Moreno's strong running and the balance it brought to the offense was a big reason why they could control the time of possession. Moreno ran for 115 yards and one touchdown that day, and without a healthy offensive line, his production will likely be impacted.
As will Peyton Manning's pass protection. The Ravens got after Andrew Luck of the Colts last Sunday, relentlessly hitting him for sacks and to disrupt passes alike; the Broncos offensive line has to be on top of their collective game to control the line of scrimmage against one of the most physical fronts in all of football.
It will certainly be a focal point in the Divisional round playoff game.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. MT at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium and will be televised on CBS.
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Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. You can follow Rich on twitter or facebook for all your Denver Broncos news and opinion.
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