ENGLEWOOD — The Broncos are 3-0 for the first time since 2016 and hope to become 4-0 against the 2-1 Ravens at Empower Field.

Here are three keys to a Broncos victory Sunday:

Slow down Lamar Jackson

The Ravens quarterback is one of the most electric players in football, often using his legs to make game-changing plays. He’s a big reason why Baltimore is leading the league in rushing at 185.3 yards per game. The Broncos rank second in rushing defense, holding opponents to 59.3 yards per game. 

But the Broncos have yet to face a player quite like Jackson. 

“I never played against [former NFL QB] Michael Vick, but you watch him on film he has some of those same type of abilities,” outside linebacker Von Miller said. “He’s fast, he’s quick, and he can go from zero to 60 yards in a blink of an eye.”

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Jackson has rushed for 251 yards and two touchdowns this season, while also passing for 761 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. 

He is a master at escaping the pocket, but when forced to throw, he’s shown he can make the occasionally mistake. The Broncos have to make him beat them with his arm.

“The first three seconds of the play necessarily won’t be the problem,” safety Justin Simmons said. “It’s the next three, four, five, six seconds afterwards that creates a big problem for any defense.

“The receivers are so good at finding ways to get open for him, and he’s good with extending plays with his legs.”

Extraordinary indeed. The good thing for the Broncos is they likely won’t have to see Jackson again unless it’s in the playoffs. 

“It’s hard,” coach Vic Fangio said. “That’s why the guy has won an MVP.

“… It’s almost like [Pro Football Hall of Fame RB] Barry Sanders is playing quarterback. We’ll try our best.”

Eyes on Mark Andrews

If Jackson is the Broncos’ No. 1 priority, tight end Mark Andrews should be their second. 

Andrews, now in his fourth season, is considered one of the best tight ends in the NFL, which is why the Ravens signed him to a four-year, $56 million extension this off-season. He has yet to find the end zone this season, but has 13 receptions and 186 yards. 

“He’s a really good receiver as tight ends go,” Fangio said. “He can really run for a guy his size, he’s got good hands, and a good catch radius. I think Jackson’s got good chemistry with him, too. He likes throwing to him. He’s a big part of their offense and they told you that with the contract they gave him recently.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the Broncos choose to defend Andrews, with nickel Bryce Callahan, dime Caden Sterns and linebackers Alexander Johnson and Justin Strnad all likely lining up against him at some point. 

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“Man, he’s a great tight end — he’s done great things,” tight end Noah Fant said. “He just signed a big contract with them. I’m excited to play against him and compete with him and what he’s doing. I’m excited to see what he does against our defense. I’ve said this multiple times — I think our defense is one of the best in the league, so it’s going to be cool to see what he does and see how our defense guards him, reacts to him, and things like that. It should be good.”

Get the ground game going

While the Broncos rushing attack hasn’t been bad, it also hasn’t been great at times. And with the possibility of both right guard Graham Glasgow and left guard Dalton Risner being out, that could be a tall task. 

“I’ve always said I believe in running the ball,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. “I believe in involving the backs in the game plan by handing it to them. I think it helps your team. What I like about it is we’ve been able to stay consistent with it throughout the game. We’ve been able to utilize it in all areas of the field.”

The Ravens rank eighth in rushing defense, allowing 79 rushing yards per game. Simultaneously, the Broncos rank eighth in rushing yards per game at 127. The Broncos offense should be able to find some success through the air as the Ravens rank 30th in passing defense, but Denver also needs to put together long drives to keep the ball out of Jackson’s hands. And that starts with the run game. 

“The Ravens historically are very tough to run on,” Fangio said. “They have big defensive linemen, and they have good players. Their scheme is hard to run on at times, but we’re going to have to find a way to grind some yards out of there.”