Lewis Tandem Proves Too Much for Broncos

The Denver Broncos have a hard enough time beating the Baltimore Ravens under normal circumstances.

Playing with third-string quarterback Danny Kanell made the task virtually impossible, especially on a day in which the Lewis & Lewis Show put on a stellar performance in front of a record crowd.

Ray Lewis rambled 37 yards with a key interception in the fourth quarter, Jamal Lewis topped 100 yards rushing for a sixth consecutive game and the Ravens cruised past the Broncos, 26-6, Sunday.

Matt Stover kicked four field goals for the Ravens (4-3), who maintained their hold on first place in the AFC North by beating the Broncos (5-3) for a fourth consecutive season, including the 2000 playoffs.

“Sometimes, it’s just one of those things,” Ray Lewis said. “We match up very well against Denver.”

Especially when the Broncos use Kanell, who was pressed into action because Denver was without injured Jake Plummer and Steve Beuerlein.

Starting for the first time since 2000, Kanell completed 16 of 31 passes for 114 yards and had two passes intercepted.

“Obviously, it was not the kind of comeback I wanted,” Kanell said. “Bottom line, it’s a loss.”

The Broncos were counting on running back Clinton Portis to carry the offense, but he was limited to 86 yards in 22 carries.

“It’s hard to win football games on the road if you can’t run the ball,” Coach Mike Shanahan said. “We were kind of limited in some of the things we could do, but that’s no excuse. We just didn’t execute very well.”

The game drew 69,721, the largest crowd to watch a pro football game in Baltimore.

Baltimore led, 9-6, when Ray Lewis picked off Kanell’s pass intended for Rod Smith. Lewis returned the ball to the Denver 20, and four plays later, Kyle Boller threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Terry Jones with 7:35 left.

Stover kicked a field goal after the Broncos turned the ball over on downs at their 14. Jamal Lewis had a 28-yard touchdown run with 1:56 to go after Gary Baxter returned an interception 34 yards to the Denver 28.

Jamal Lewis had a career-high 32 carries for 134 yards and caught three passes for 28 yards. He is the first to run for 100 yards against Denver this season.

“We keep pounding them, and they just wear down over time,” said Lewis, who leads the NFL with 977 yards rushing.

Denver linebacker John Mobley suffered a bruised spinal cord late in the first half, but all of his feeling returned and X-rays were negative.