Lamar Jackson and Ravens prepare for challenge from surging Broncos

The Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos are in position to reach the postseason with a strong finish to the second half of the season.

The Ravens and Broncos are each 5-3 and in second place in the AFC North and AFC West, respectively. The teams will test their skills 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 have a lot of football ahead of us here,” Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said of Jackson, who sat out practice Wednesday for rest. “We have a game ahead of us, a quick game, another big game coming up. So that was justified.”

Rookie Bo Nix has given the Broncos hope for the future, leading them to two straight wins. Nix has thrown for 1,530 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He could have success against the Ravens’ pass defense, which ranks last in the NFL with 291.4 yards per game.

“For a rookie quarterback, I think those are all steps,” Denver coach Sean Payton said of Nix. “Confidence increases. We saw it. The key is – and I said it – the key is in its environment. Are we good enough in these other positions around him? That is what we constantly pay attention to.” . We have to paint the picture and if we can do that, we will move the ball.

The Ravens’ secondary isn’t doing itself any favors either.

Last week, safety Kyle Hamilton made a simple 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 win 29-24. Safety Eddie Jackson, who also dropped two possible interceptions in the game, was hit badly on the touchdown.

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

“We’re going to make these plays, we’re going to work hard at them and we’re going to continue to work harder at them because we want our guys to have confidence,” Harbaugh said. “We have guys with good hands; they can catch the ball. I am very confident that we will be able to do it in the future, but I would like to see it happen soon.”

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

Defensive end Brent Urban left 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. Nose 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 be a challenge. Denver is averaging 121.4 yards rushing per game, led by the duo of Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin.

“It’s going to be really important to stop the run of this game — 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 it’s going to be a big part of the game plan.”

Much of the Ravens’ success 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 also rank second in average points per game (30.3).

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

Henry leads the NFL with 946 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. He also has two goal receptions. The Broncos’ defense has been stout, ranking third in yards (282.6 yards per game) and points (15 points per game).

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

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