Denver Broncos: How it Went Wrong vs Baltimore

By Jessica Kleinschmidt on January 18, 2013

I think we can all agree it was a rather intense weekend of football, which is to be expected in NFL playoff time.  The Baltimore Ravens vs Denver Broncos game did not come short of that. 

There was discussion with Peyton Manning would struggle in the freezing weather since it’s been proven in the past he has performed horribly in weather below 40 degrees.  It was quite colder than 40 degrees, and it’s difficult to have a low scoring game and a defense (which a lot of people predicted) in that weather.

In the first half, not too much was done to the Broncos' offense, especially towards Manning, who seemed virtually untouchable.  However, in the second half, the Ravens got into Manning’s head 10 times on 24 drop backs.

Paul Kruger has been sensational in playoffs and was the reason Manning was forced out of the pocket and kept him shaky.  Kruger ended the game with two quarterback hits, and Terrell Suggs made an impression with two sacks on Peyton.

It was also a rough day for star defensive back Champ Bailey who could not seem to shake Torrey Smith from him.  In addition, Rahim Moore allowed Jacoby Jones to run all over him and make a ridiculous catch that ultimately changed the the game.

Joe Flacco can’t be forgotten in this game either.  He completed 18 of 34 passes for 331 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.  He constantly challenged the Broncos downfield, which resulted in two scores of at least 59 yards, while Manning was stuck playing short-field football.

Everybody was quite shocked at the outcome of this game, but that’s the playoffs baby.