First thoughts on the Broncos' embarrassing 41-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9:

Bo knows, is growing, but…: The Broncos were desperate to show that they belonged in the AFC's upper echelon. Instead, they clearly demonstrated that they were not ready to move up the weight class. Bo Nix was the Broncos' best player in terms of passing, running and receiving threat (he had 261 total yards) and he wasn't nearly good enough. He needs better weapons around him than Courtland Sutton. Denver learned the humbling lesson that it takes clean execution to beat a rival on the road. Yes, the Broncos ran six plays for minus-2 yards in the third quarter, but that game was lost in the first half. Then Nix threw an interception on his first pass – Lil' Jordan Humphrey deserves equal blame – Javonte Williams somehow failed to get the ball out for the conversion, and Nix missed the ball on fourth-and-4 for a sure-fire rookie touchdown Troy Franklin.

Broncos' D outclassed: The Broncos' third-ranked defense took advantage of the opportunity to face the league's best offensive attack. About it. The Ravens spent three quarters graffitiing Denver's former Picasso. They couldn't contain Lamar Jackson, and his ability to extend plays reflected a lack of pass rush and leaky coverage. Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with the fourth perfect pass rating of his career. Not bad for a guy who trained for a day last week.

Blooming flowers: Central to the Broncos' game plan was for Jackson to beat them through the air. They controlled the ground attack in the first half, but Zay Flowers thrived. Flowers caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns in 30 minutes. For comparison, he had never received two receiving touchdowns in a game before Sunday and his career-high was 132 yards. Flowers' 53-yard score with 16 seconds left in the second quarter was the slam dunk. Flowers caught the ball in space and safety Devon Key missed the tackle – the Broncos need PJ Locke as soon as possible after an injury – as the second-year receiver ran for the score.