Five Key Matchups: Broncos at Ravens

Von Miller has never sacked Joe Flacco in the regular season, but there’s a first time for everything, and this week should present Miller with a great opportunity. The NFL’s sack leader faces an offensive line that has given up six sacks, tied for eighth-most in the league. Flacco likes to hold the ball and look for receivers downfield, so if Miller can get around the edge, he should have a few clean shots at the Ravens gunslinger. Flacco has put up some big numbers so far this season: His 612 yards are seventh-most in the league, and he’s tossed five touchdowns, too. But Flacco needs time to get through his progressions downfield. Against Cincinnati, that hurt the Ravens’ comeback bid, as Flacco was strip-sacked as Baltimore tried to drive for a tying score. If he has time, Flacco will take advantage, but if Miller can collapse the pocket quickly, the Broncos will be in a great position to secure a road victory.

As a captain, Todd Davis is one of the most important vocal leaders on the defense, and he will have to be on his toes when the Ravens try to incorporate rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson into the game. Davis leads the team with 12 individual tackles, and he’s been responsible for corralling players ranging from Russell Wilson to Jared Cook to Marshawn Lynch. But Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, presents a different type of challenge. Through two weeks, Jackson has lined up both in the backfield and out wide. The Ravens haven’t used him very often, but he’s an explosive and multi-skilled athlete. “He’s played about four to five snaps with Flacco on the field,” Head Coach Vance Joseph said Wednesday. “It’s going to happen, and again, we have a plan for it. We can’t be surprised by that and give up a cheap play. That’s why they’re going to do it, obviously, to catch you slipping and to make a big play on you. We can’t allow it.” The Broncos — and especially Davis — will have to know where he is at all times.

Chris Harris Jr. has made a living shutting down quick slot receivers, and he’ll have another tough task in Baltimore Sunday against John Brown. The speedy 28-year-old is in his first year in Baltimore after spending his first four years in Arizona, and he has quickly become one of Joe Flacco’s favorite big-play targets. He leads the team with 136 yards and two touchdowns through two games, and his 19.4 yards per reception is eight-highest in the NFL. “He’s really a receiver who’s jumped out on the film,” Harris said Wednesday. “So we’ve got to be aware of where he’s at for the big play for sure.” Harris could also see time against Willie Snead, but if he’s on Brown, it’s undoubtedly a matchup to watch. Need another reason to pay attention to the three-time Pro Bowl corner? Harris has always found success against Baltimore. In four career games against the Ravens, he has two interceptions, including one he returned 98 yards for a score in 2012.

This matchup pits a young, promising player and his aging, accomplished counterpart. Bolles has shown significant improvement in his second year in the NFL after an up-and-down rookie season. The player he faces Sunday, though, will likely be his toughest challenge this season. Suggs, who turns 36 in October, already has a sack and three passes defended through two games. He’s a smart player who can still get after the quarterback with a variety of pass-rushing moves. Bolles will have his hands full against one of the best edge rushers of the past decade-and-a-half. If Bolles can win this matchup more often than not, that will pave the way for the running backs and also give Case Keenum plenty of time in the pocket, a key in getting off to a strong start offensively.

Regular starter — and three-time Pro Bowler — C.J. Mosley missed practice Friday with a knee injury and was listed as questionable for Sunday's game. If he can't play, the Ravens will turn to Kenny Young, a fourth-round selection out of UCLA in this year’s NFL Draft. He wasted no time making a big impact after Mosley exited a “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the Bengals. The rookie has totaled 11 tackles this year — good for second on the team — and he recorded a sack against Cincinnati. Young is a talented player, but the Ravens’ defense is certainly worse off if Mosley isn’t in the lineup. That’s where Case Keenum will need to take advantage of a young backup, both in making pre-snap adjustments and picking out soft spots in the defense.