The Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos are in position to make the postseason with strong finishes in the second half of the season.

The Ravens and Broncos are both 5-3 and in second place in the AFC North and AFC West, respectively. The teams will test their mettle against each other on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

The Ravens are led by two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is playing at the highest level of his career.

“He played great and we’ve got a lot of football in front of us here,” Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said of Jackson, who practiced on Wednesday with rest. “We’ve got a game, a quick game, another big game coming up. So that was warranted.”

Rookie Bo Nix gave the Broncos hope for the future and led them to two straight wins. Nix threw for 1,530 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He could be successful against a Ravens pass defense that ranks last in the NFL allowing 291.4 yards per game.

“For a rookie quarterback, I think those are all steps,” Denver coach Sean Payton said of Nix. “Steps of confidence. We’ve seen it. The key is — and I’ve said it — the key is around him. Are we good enough at these other positions around him? That’s what we’re constantly looking at (at) We’ve got to paint image, and when we do that, we will be successful.

The Ravens secondary is also not doing itself any favors.

Last week, safety Kyle Hamilton made an easy interception that could have sealed the win against Cleveland. On the very next play, Jameis Winston threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman to help the Browns to a 29–24 victory. Safety Eddie Jackson, who also gave up two potential interceptions in the game, was badly beaten on the touchdown.

Courtland Sutton leads Denver with 29 receptions for 377 yards with two touchdowns.

“We’re going to make those plays, we’re going to work hard at it and we’re going to continue to work harder at it because that’s something we want our guys to have confidence in,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve got guys with good hands; they can catch the ball. I’m very confident we’ll do it before, but I’d like to see it happen very soon.”

The Ravens are allowing just 69.9 rushing yards per game, tops in the NFL. However, they are dealing with several key injuries.

Defensive end Brent Urban had to leave the game against the Browns with a concussion. Defensive tackle Travis Jones was able to play despite an ankle injury, but was limited to 15 snaps and did not practice Wednesday. Tackle Michael Pierce was placed on injured reserve with a calf injury and will miss at least the next four games.

The Broncos’ rushing game could pose a challenge. Denver is averaging 121.4 rushing yards per game, led by the duo of Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin.

“Stopping the run in this game is going to be really important — it’s going to be huge,” Harbaugh said. “(The Broncos are) a running team and they run it really well and they run it a lot, so that’s going to be a big part of the game plan.”

Much of the Ravens’ success has revolved around Jackson and running back Derrick Henry. Baltimore leads the league in total offense (452.1 yards per game) and rushing offense (200 ypg). The Ravens are also second in points per game average (30.3).

Jackson is having another MVP-caliber season, throwing for 2,099 yards with 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He is also second on the team with 501 rushing yards.

Henry leads the NFL with 946 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He also has two scoring receptions. The Broncos defense has been solid and ranks third in yards (282.6 yards per game) and points (15 points per game).

“This is by far our toughest challenge,” Payton said of the Ravens.

Broncos safety PJ Locke (thumb) and offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (knee) did not practice Wednesday.