Broncos

No. 6 Boise State uses a 30-yard pass on a fake punt from its 33-yard line to set up a tie-breaking fourth-quarter touchdown and lead the Broncos to a 17-10 victory over No. 3 Texas Christian in a battle of unbeaten teams that were denied a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title game. Article, PG 14

The NFL will release its regular-schedule tonight at 8 p.m. during an NFL Network special which is expected to confirm what the Ravens have suspected for weeks: They'll open the season on Sept. 5 against the Denver Broncos. The league is holding off on the announcement until tonight and the Ravens haven't been told definitively where they'll begin defense of the Super Bowl XLVII title. However, CBS Sports reported today that there will be no surprises for the NFL's Sept.

RAVENS PASSING GAME: It will be interesting to see new offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell's influence on the play-calling and game plan. The expectation is that the Ravens will loosen the reins on quarterback Joe Flacco, who feels he's at his best in the no-huddle offense. Flacco threw three first-half touchdowns in last Sunday's loss to the Washington Redskins, but he turned the ball over twice. Wide receiver Torrey Smith has three catches or fewer in four of his past five games.

An offseason of losses gave way to a big Ravens gain Sunday night as they announced that they have agreed in principle on a five-year deal with former Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Dumervil, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who had 63 ½ sacks and 16 forced fumbles in six seasons with the Broncos, will be at the Ravens' facility Tuesday to take a physical and - if all goes well - to sign a contract. “I think this move is awesome,” Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs told The Baltimore Sun. “It shows we're still in the business of winning and we have the best [general manager]

Well, that depends Dan Pompei Chicago Tribune Really, there should be two sets of expectations for the Broncos in 2012. The first set of expectations assumes Peyton Manning is healthy and as able as he was earlier in his career. If that is the case, they look like the best team in the AFC West and one of the best teams in the conference. Even if all goes well with Manning though, predictions of a Lombardi Trophy may be a bit optimistic. This still is a young team with holes, and there will be a learning curve for Manning.

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 27, Broncos 24 Only because the Ravens are at home. And they're desperate. And they might have Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs back. And a three-game losing streak would cause The Castle to implode. Edward Lee Broncos 30, Ravens 17 The Broncos are 0-5 all time against the Ravens in Baltimore, but the Ravens are reeling, and a change from Cam Cameron to Jim Caldwell at offensive coordinator isn't the end-all solution. Peyton Manning will fortify his candidacy to be named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.

With a wrecking-ball defense, the Broncos came to the NFL town Ray Lewis built and tore it down. Forty-five minutes after Denver's 34-17 victory against Baltimore, a tractor swept the stadium turf, picking up the shards of quarterback Joe Flacco's ego. And for every team with a coaching vacancy, write down these three words: Jack Del Rio. On their seventh defensive coordinator in seven years, the Broncos love Del Rio. "I just don't know how...

The purple-and-black clad Ravens long have been the NFL's bruise brothers. With linebacker Ray Lewis leading the bullying, the Ravens' defense beat people up and laid down the law, especially when playing at home. The Broncos know that first-hand. They are 0-5 against the Ravens in Baltimore, including a 21-3 wild-card playoff loss in 2000. But this year's Broncos believe they are developing their own rock 'em, sock 'em defense. “I think [offensive coordinator Jack] Del Rio has preached from Day 1 that he wants gritty, tough guys on this defense,” said defensive tackle Justin Bannan, who played for the Ravens from 2006-09.

From Sun staff and news services NFL Broncos add former Raven Leonhard The Denver Broncos signed free-agent safety Jim Leonhard on Saturday. The 29-year-old former Raven had 48 tackles and one interception in 13 games last season for the New York Jets, with whom he had played since 2009. An undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin, Leonhard played in 94 NFL games since 2005 with the Buffalo Bills, Ravens and Jets. He has 326 tackles, six interceptions (one returned for a touchdown)

Mike Adams probably is right. There has been all this hype about the Broncos and their pursuit of the No. 2 playoff seed, perhaps for no other reason than it's there. Recent Super Bowl history, though, suggests playoff seeding may be among the most overrated of NFL's accomplishments. The Green Bay Packers won the 2010 season's Super Bowl as the No. 6, and last, NFC playoff seed. The New York Giants won the Super Bowl last year with a No. 4 seed and a 9-7 record that many years isn't good enough to reach the postseason tournament.

The thrill of Saturday's 38-35 double-overtime win against the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round swept up Ravens players and coaches alike. But when the euphoria had dissipated, members of the special teams unit were left with another emotion: anger. That's not a surprise considering that Trindon Holliday had become the first player in NFL history to return a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in a playoff game. The players who man the coverage units are aware of how fortunate they were to escape Denver with a victory.

Cindy Cummings Wheeler: How does it feel to be the only Sun writer (probably the only sports writer anywhere) to pick the Ravens to beat the Broncos? Thanks for having faith in our team! It wasn't about faith. Few good teams get blown out by the same team twice in one season and a little birdie got in my ear and told me about the law of averages. They were on the Ravens side going in against Peyton Manning because he had beaten them often.  Fran in Baltimore: I know you have been hard on Joe Flacco and at times you were right.

Ravens 38, Broncos 35, 2OT Strategy: It took a ton of wise decisions to triumph in the instant classic. Jim Caldwell blended aggressive deep passes with an old-fashioned approach on the ground, piling up 479 yards of total offense. Joe Flacco trusted his receivers in jump-ball situations. The shotgun formation was utilized on 25 of 74 snaps with zero no-huddles. The reconfigured line's basic blocking techniques warded off Broncos pass rushers Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil.

If you are one of the few people who missed the Ravens' 38-35 double overtime win against the Denver Broncos in Saturday's AFC Divisional playoff round or you simply want to relive the exhilarating moments again, the NFL Network is planning to re-air the game Monday night at 8. Unlike previous rebroadcasts that are limited to 90 minutes, the network will replay three hours of the contest that took 4 hours, 11 minutes to determine a winner....

It had nothing to do with the cold. It had nothing to do with the postseason. It had nothing to do with The Glove. It had everything to do with committing one of the most egregious sins of quarterbacking - throwing across the body. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who by his own admission can't throw the fastball like he used to, rolled right late in the first overtime Saturday, and tried to throw back left and complete a pass to Brandon Stokley. Manning's pass didn't get there.

The Baltimore Ravens double-overtime victory over the Denver Broncos Saturday drew the largest TV audience for an AFC divisional playoff in 26 years. That's as far back as CBS records go, the 1987-88 season, according to the network. An average audience of 35.3 million viewers (Persons 2+) watched the epic contest that ended 38-35 in favor of Baltimore. That was up 3 percent from last year's average audience of 34.2 million for Denver and New England, according to Nielsen figures provided by CBS Sports.

A chill is coming to Denver in time for the Ravens' arrival to face the Broncos on Saturday, with temperatures likely in the teens at game time. Though the Mile High City is enjoying a warm-up this week much like we are in Baltimore, with highs in the 50s, colder weather is forecast to move in Friday, according to the National Weather Service's Denver/Boulder forecast office. Friday brings highs in the 30s with a 40 percent chance of snow. Saturday is expected to be even more brisk, with a daytime high around 20 and an overnight low around 4 degrees.

I want to ask Jacoby Jones what we should call that one. I want to know if he's thought of a name for the play, the one that still has all of Baltimore buzzing today and all of Denver practically catatonic. You can't call it "The Catch" or the "Immaculate Reception" because it wasn't a great catch and it sure wasn't flawless and without blemish. This play was more like Jones thinking: Dear God, please don't let me drop this, because I'll never live it down and will be forced to live in an ashram with Ricky Williams for the rest of my life to escape the eternal shame.

Loser won't be the worst name Broncos safety Rahim Moore will be called after committing the biggest orange-and-blue blunder in team history. "I'm taking the blame for it. Hey, I lost the game for us. It is what it is," Moore said Saturday evening, his voice cracking after Denver was eliminated from the NFL playoffs with a shocking 38-35 double-overtime loss to Baltimore. In a Denver locker room where grown men fought back tears and quarterback Peyton Manning's storybook finish was shattered before the final chapter could begin, Broncos coach John Fox had to find some way to say goodbye.