BALTIMORE – Something had to give when the NFL’s top-ranked offense on Sunday went against the No. 3 defense.

It was the Broncos’ defense.

The Baltimore Ravens lived up to their billing by rolling up 396 yards of total offense in a 41-10 rout of Denver at M&T Bank Stadium. At one point, they scored on seven consecutive possessions.

The Broncos (5-4) entered the game No. 3 in total defense, allowing 282.6 yards per game and No. 3 in points allowed, giving up 15 points an outing. So much for those gaudy statistics.

“Just knowing what team we are and knowing the type of defense and knowing the kind of stage that we had to prove ourselves and not playing up to the standard was kind of a disappointment,’’ said Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto.

The game got away from the Broncos after Wil Lutz kicked a 37-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 17-10 with 54 seconds left in the first half. The Ravens (6-3) quickly moved down the field and scored on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Zay Flowers with 16 seconds left before intermission for a 24-10 lead.

Safety Devon Key missed a tackle on Flowers at the 28. He said Flowers “just slipped through my hands.”

Key, who also had a facemask penalty in the second quarter, had a shaky game. He replaced starter P.J. Locke, who missed his second straight game due to a thumb injury.

“I think there’s some communication issues involved on that play, but collectively as a unit going into halftime, we weren’t really too depressed about it because we knew what we had to do defensively,’’ said Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II.

Regardless, things got depressing on defense for the Broncos. The Ravens took the second-half kickoff and got a 6-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry for a 31-10 lead. They ended up outscoring Denver 24-0 after Lutz’s field goal, including 17-0 in the second half.

“It got away from us real fast, real quick,’’ said Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper. “We can’t let them run it up like that. We can’t let that stuff happen.”

Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns and had a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Henry carried 23 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Still, Cooper insisted the Broncos don’t have to go back to the drawing board on defense.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of work to do,’’ he said. “I feel like that score doesn’t represent us at all and who we are as a team. … If you watch the film, you can see we were right there.”

At least they were in the first half. Overall, wide receiver Courtland Sutton said the Broncos’ offense could have done a lot better job helping out the defense. The Broncos were 1 of 5 on fourth-down conversions and failed twice on fourth down in the first half when the outcome was still in doubt.

“We all work hand-in-hand and it’s on us to be able to pick each other up,’’ Sutton said. “We work with the defense, and they work with us, and it’s on us to be able to pick them up if something goes wrong.”

Nix the receiver

When Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Sutton in the second quarter, it put him in some rare company.

Nix became just the second true quarterback in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass, run for one and catch one in his rookie season. Marcus Mariota did it for Tennessee in 2015.

Nix became the eighth player in Denver history to accomplish the feat in the same season and just the second quarterback. John Elway did it in 1986.

Nix’s catch came on fourth-and-goal midway through the second quarter. He scored despite taking a hard hit from safety Marcus Williams at the goal line.

“We got the right look,’’ said Broncos coach Sean Payton. “I wouldn’t have called it if I knew it would have been that close. … Courtland made a good throw.”

Bonitto’s sack streak ends

Bonitto had his streak of six straight games with a sack end. That is, unless the NFL decides to make a statistical change.

In the second quarter, Bonitto dropped Jackson for an eight-yard loss. However, it was ruled a tackle for loss on a running play.

“I don’t know,’’ Bonitto said when asked if it should have been a sack. “I was just trying to make plays out there. That’s all.”

Bonitto said the end of his sack streak was “the last thing on my mind.”

The Broncos entered the game with 30 sacks, an average of 3.8 per game. However, their only sack Sunday was by defensive end John Franklin-Myers.

Briefly

It was the second-biggest loss by the Broncos in Payton’s two seasons, the most lopsided being Miami’s 70-20 win in September 2023. “Football is a humbling game, and that’s the beauty of it,’’ said cornerback Riley Moss. “The highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. … We can’t forget that. … How can we get better so that it doesn’t occur again?” … For the first time this season, Broncos running back Javonte Williams didn’t start, having been replaced by Jaleel McLaughlin. Williams hasn’t built upon carrying 14 times for 88 yards at New Orleans on Oct. 17. In two games since then, he’s rushed 29 times for 86 yards, including 12 carries for 42 yards against the Ravens. McLaughlin had just five carries for 10 yards. … Inactive for Denver were Locke, cornerback Damarri Mathis, tight end Greg Dulcich, tackle Frank Crum, outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine and quarterback Zach Wilson. Defensive lineman Eyimoa Uwazurike was active for the second time this season due to the Broncos wanting another big body use against Henry. That’s one reason why Mathis was inactive. … Broncos tackle Alex Palczewski, who suffered a high right ankle sprain Oct. 6 against Las Vegas, returned after missing three games.