The Denver Broncos ' five previous visits to Baltimore haven't gone very well, but they also didn't have Peyton Manning under center.

With the teams battling for AFC playoff positioning, Manning looks to help guide Denver to its ninth straight victory Sunday while winning his ninth consecutive start against the Ravens, whose offense is now being run by one of Manning's mentors.

Manning has been stellar in his first season with Denver, throwing for an AFC-best 30 touchdowns with a 104.0 passer rating that ranks fourth in the NFL while guiding the Broncos (10-3) to the AFC West title.

He finished 26 of 36 for 310 yards and a touchdown Dec. 6 in a 26-13 win at Oakland to give the team its longest winning streak since the 1998 John Elway-led Broncos won their first 13 games en route to their second straight Super Bowl.

Denver has dropped each of its five trips to Baltimore - including the last two by a combined 37 points - but Manning may be who it needs to end that streak.

Manning has won each of his last eight starts versus the Ravens, including two postseason victories. He led Indianapolis to a win in the divisional playoffs the last time he faced them Jan. 16, 2010.

"I can't speak to the past," said Manning, who has won four times in Baltimore during that stretch. "All I know is, we're going on the road, playing an excellent team."

The Broncos are one game ahead of the Ravens (9-4) for the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff race, and coach John Fox believes his team will have a tough time extending its winning streak.

"This will be a playoff-type game," Fox said. "You're talking about a team that's been in the playoffs four straight years, I think coach (John) Harbaugh's done a tremendous job. They've got excellent staff, excellent football team, they know how to win and part of that is being tough at home. They've only lost one game there this year (out of six)."

Harbaugh said his team knows what's at stake.

"It's a big game - we don't really need an incentive," Harbaugh said. "The fact that us and Denver are both kind of in the mix for seeding and for division championships and those kind of things, that makes it really interesting. This is a game that everybody should be excited about."

The Ravens, though, enter on a two-game skid after falling 31-28 in overtime at Washington last Sunday. They also lost 23-20 on Dec. 2 when Pittsburgh kicked a field goal as time expired to end Baltimore's 16-game home winning streak.

The Ravens' last home loss to anyone other than the Steelers was to Manning and the Colts on Nov. 22, 2009.

Indianapolis' coach that day will now be calling plays for Baltimore after Harbaugh on Monday made what he called one of the toughest decisions of his career. With four turnovers in the past two weeks and the offense sputtering at 344.4 yards per game - 18th in the NFL - the Ravens fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and replaced him with Jim Caldwell.

Caldwell has served as Baltimore's quarterbacks coach this season after being fired by Indianapolis in January.

"The little time that he's been here, we've had a great working relationship," said Joe Flacco , who went 16 of 21 for 182 yards and three touchdowns last week.

That's not surprising given Caldwell's relationship with Manning while serving as his quarterbacks coach for seven seasons and head coach for three with the Colts.

"I felt like he really took my game to another level," Manning said. "He's also a tremendous mentor and friend to me."

While the Ravens' offense gets accustomed to a new leader, the defense has plenty of holes to fill.

Ray Lewis , Terrell Suggs and Lardarius Webb all have missed time with serious injuries, and starting linebacker Jameel McClain has been ruled out Sunday due to back and neck problems.

Suggs (bicep) may be back this week after sitting out against Washington, while there's a chance Lewis (triceps) could play for the first time since Week 6.

Defensive back Asa Jackson also was suspended four games Tuesday for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs, depleting an already thin secondary.

Baltimore's once feared-defense ranks 24th overall (375.9 yards per game) and 25th against the run (129.3).

"This is by far one of those years," safety Ed Reed said. "I think when coach first got here, second year, we had a lot of injuries. But not like this."

Denver, meanwhile, is one of two teams to be among the top 10 in both total offense and defense, ranking fourth in each category. Knowshon Moreno ran for 119 yards and a touchdown against Oakland - the second-highest rushing total of his career.

"I think any quarterback would tell you that his best friend is a good running game," Manning said. "It's a tough bunch against the run, starting in Baltimore, but we feel it's important, like all season, to be balanced."

Ravens running back Ray Rice , who had a season-high 121 yards last week, rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown in a 31-17 win over Denver in the most recent meeting Oct. 10, 2010.

Broncos rout Ravens 34-17 for 9th straight win

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Denver Broncos no longer can be considered a notch below the best in the AFC, nor can they be viewed as a team that can succeed only when Peyton Manning puts up dazzling numbers.

Their 34-17 rout of the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday showed just how good these Broncos can be.

Chris Harris returned an interception 98 yards for a momentum-turning touchdown, and Denver cruised to its ninth straight victory in surprisingly easy fashion.

"You come to the Ravens' house and beat them handily, it's definitely a statement game," Harris said. "We definitely wanted to show to everybody that we're an elite team."

Manning threw for 204 yards and a score in his ninth consecutive win against Baltimore, the first with the Broncos (11-3).

But he was merely a role player in this one, because Denver's defense dominated the Ravens, who sputtered in their first game with Jim Caldwell as offensive coordinator.

This was supposed to be a test for Denver, which was 0-5 in Baltimore and was eager to face a quality opponent on the road.

"Pat Bowlen has owned the team for 29 years and has averaged 10 wins a season, but it's the first time he's won in this building," Broncos coach John Fox said. "I was proud to see that for him."

Down 10-0 late in the first half, the Ravens had a first-and-goal at the Denver 4 when Harris stepped in front of Anquan Boldin , picked off a pass by Joe Flacco and sprinted down the right sideline with Flacco in pursuit. The quarterback tripped up Harris, who tumbled into the end zone, leaving Flacco flat on his stomach and with a cut lip.

"He just ran the out route and I was waiting to see when he was going to look back at the quarterback," Harris said. "As soon as he looked back, I looked back and the ball was there. I just made a play on the ball."

It was the longest regular-season interception return in Broncos history, and it turned a close game into a rout.

"I made a mistake. No other way to say it," Flacco said.

"Baltimore had some momentum there on the drive and looks like they're probably going to get the touchdown - plus they get the ball the first series of the second half," Manning said.

"So just a huge play. The turnover is good, the fact that he took it all the way to the house for a touchdown was even bigger. Big play, big swing in the game, in the momentum. I thought it kind of jump-started everything in the second half for us."

The Ravens (9-5) were playing their first game under Caldwell, who replaced the fired Cam Cameron. Baltimore's offense sputtered in the first half, gaining only 119 yards and committing two turnovers that led to 10 Denver points.

It was 31-3 in the fourth quarter before Flacco threw touchdown passes of 31 and 61 yards to tight end Dennis Pitta .

"We couldn't get anything going until late," coach John Harbaugh said.

Baltimore has lost three straight - including two in a row at home for the first time since December 2007.

Despite the defeat, the Ravens qualified for the playoffs for a fifth straight season when Pittsburgh lost to Dallas on Sunday night. That gave the Ravens a wild-card berth, but they hope to enter the postseason as division champions.

Baltimore still leads the AFC North, but its lead has shrunk to one game with two to play.

"We're a 9-5 football team and we feel like we're 0-14 right now," Flacco said.

Caldwell's debut was a resounding flop. Flacco went 20 for 40 for 254 yards, lost a fumble and threw an interception. Ray Rice ran for 38 yards on 12 carries and the Ravens produced a meager 56 yards rushing.

Baltimore's previous two defeats were by three points apiece. This one wasn't even close, and the stadium was near empty in the middle of the fourth quarter.

"As a player, I am embarrassed for our city," safety Ed Reed said.

Denver, on the other hand, appears poised to reach the postseason with confidence and momentum. The AFC West champions haven't lost since Oct. 7, at New England. The Broncos, who can still capture the top seed in the conference, finish with home games against Cleveland and Kansas City.

Baltimore's first offensive series under Caldwell lasted three plays and ended badly. Flacco fumbled on a third-and-1 plunge and the Broncos recovered at the Denver 47, which led to a 27-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

In the first quarter, Baltimore totaled 21 yards on 12 plays, punted three times and lost a fumble.

Denver went up 10-0 when Jacob Hester ran in from the 1 to cap an 11-play, 78-yard drive. Baltimore answered with three more unproductive plays before punting. On their fifth drive, the Ravens finally got their initial first down - on a 14-yard run by Bernard Pierce with eight minutes left in the half.

Pierce eventually left the game with a concussion, as did wide receiver Torrey Smith , who hit his head after attempting to make a leaping catch near the sideline in the third quarter.

Denver pulled away with two third-quarter touchdowns. Manning threw a 51-yard scoring pass to Eric Decker , and after the Ravens went three-and-out, Knowshon Moreno ended a 39-yard drive with a 6-yard run to make it 31-3.

Decker caught eight passes for 133 yards and Moreno finished with 118 yards rushing on 22 carries.

NOTES: Rice passed 1,000 yards rushing for a fourth straight season. ... Terrell Suggs returned for Baltimore after missing one game with a torn biceps and made one tackle. ... Hester's score was the second rushing touchdown of his career and the first since his rookie season in 2008. ... Pitta had seven catches for 125 yards.

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