Broncos suffer first loss

BALTIMORE -- The Denver Broncos went from unbeaten to overmatched during a 60-minute beatdown by the Baltimore Ravens.

Rookie Lardarius Webb returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and Baltimore ended a three-game losing streak with a surprisingly easy 30-7 victory yesterday.

The Broncos (6-1) came in with the NFL's top-ranked defense, a plus-7 turnover differential and one of the league's best kick returners in Eddie Royal. Denver had also outscored the opposition 76-10 after halftime.

The Ravens, however, dominated every facet of the game.

"We didn't play our best ball, but they're a pretty good team and they beat us pretty good today on all sides of the ball," Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton said. "We didn't really do a whole lot."

Baltimore (4-3) limited Denver to 200 yards, scored off the game's lone turnover, won the special teams fight and outscored the Broncos 24-7 in the second half.

Denver started the day as one of three unbeaten teams in the NFL and was trying to go 7-0 for the first time since 1998. Baltimore needed a win to avoid falling under .500 and dropping two games behind Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the AFC North.

"They just did a better job of executing. Desperation had nothing to do with it," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said.

Baltimore held Royal in check, bottled up Orton and became the first team this season to rush for more than 100 yards against Denver. Ray Rice ran for 84 yards, the most by one player against Denver this year.

Given two weeks to think about a three-game skid in which they lost by a combined 11 points, the Ravens started fast and never relented.

"We know we're capable of doing this kind of thing," said Joe Flacco, who went 20 for 25 for 175 yards and a touchdown.

The Broncos, for the first time under McDaniels, will have to rebound from a losst.

"Anytime you have a game like this, it forces you to look in a mirror," McDaniels said.