BALTIMORE – It wasn’t an exact reproduction of “The Philly Special,” but Denver Broncos pulled off one of the most notable feats of the 2024 season to hold the Baltimore Ravens to a score on the road on Sunday.

Bo Nix took the snap on fourth down from the 1-yard line and passed it to Javonte Williams, who threw the ball to Courtland Sutton. The wide receiver, reversing into the backfield, floated enough air under his pass attempt to get the ball into the end zone. Nix rose like a receiver and, showing impressive body control, won the jump ball against Ravens safety Marcus Williams before falling over the goal line for a touchdown.

Midway through the second quarter, the Broncos had pulled within 10-7 of the Ravens, who entered the game as favorites despite the two teams coming in with the same record (5-3). The final score – 41-10 in favor of Baltimore – is a testament to the gulf between the two teams.

The Philly Special Redux was the closest they got, showing just how far Sean Payton’s team has to go before competing with the cream of the AFC’s core. Unfortunately for the Broncos, Nix’s touchdown catch was a bright play on an otherwise insubstantial day for the entire team.

After the game, Payton said the Ravens beat the Broncos in all three phases.

“That’s why it’s so important when we bring in the right type of players and mindset,” said Payton, who went 8-9 in 2023, his first season with the team. “Don’t make any excuses. Today we looked.”

Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers and the Ravens offense responded to the Nix touchdown catch — the first time the rookie quarterback has caught a touchdown to complement his eight touchdown throws and four rushing scores — with a seven-play touchdown drive , 63 yards. They answered again to take a two-touchdown lead by halftime.

Nix finished 19 of 33 for 233 yards and an interception, which came on his first pass attempt of the game. While it wasn’t his best throw, the 12th overall draft pick deserved less blame than Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who let the ball hit his hands and float into the air for Ar ‘Darius Washington to squeeze it comfortably.

The Broncos were 6-for-14 on third down. But Payton was aggressive in keeping the offense on the field for fourth downs, and Denver finished 1-for-5. On first down, Nix overthrew former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin for what would have been a touchdown cleaner ball.

“We went without points on several of those fourth downs and you just never know,” Nix said. “Obviously, if you hit them, I think the game could change – a lot of what’s going on in this game, and the fact of the matter is, they kicked us.”

While he’s content to drink and dunk and go for his first read if it’s a favorable matchup, Nix also broke up a few deeper passes Sunday and can make plays with his feet.

“This quarterback is good,” Ravens linebacker Tavius ​​Robinson said, “and he’s only going to get better.”

Through nine games, that’s been the case for Nix. Because he barely attempted a pass beyond the line of scrimmage against the Seattle Seahawks during his NFL debut, Nix threw the ball more down the field (7.06 yards per attempt from Weeks 4-8). The Broncos had five plays of 21 yards or more Sunday, while the Ravens had seven.

Payton and the Broncos had their way with the Carolina Panthers last Sunday. A week later, they were the ones playing as Jackson found quarterback Patrick Ricard on a play-action pass near the goal line to make it 38-10 with 1:25 left in the third quarter. Jackson finished 16-for-19 with 280 passing yards, three touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

“I think if you’re an older team and you’ve been in that situation, you can pull it off. I think as a younger team with not as much experience, you have to take it as it is and learn from it, grow from it, because you don’t want to be in that situation again,” Nix said . “You kind of accept the pain and the reality that we didn’t get it done today. As a young team, you have to find ways to not let that happen again.”

(This story has been updated to add a photo and gallery.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Broncos’ loss to the Ravens shows that Denver is still not an AFC contender