Broncos Face Real Test Against Ravens [VIDEO]

Nobody would discount an eight-game winning streak, but there's a not-so-little secret about the one Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are currently enjoying.Quite simply, they haven't played anyone who's all that good since the streak started.

No team the Broncos have beaten over their winning streak would be in the playoffs if they started today. Only one — Cincinnati at 7-6 — currently has a winning record.  All of which adds yet another layer of intrigue to Sunday's game at Baltimore.

Not only will the game against the Ravens (9-4) go a long way toward determining where the Broncos (10-3) land in the hunt for a first-round bye in the playoffs, it will give them a litmus test on what kind of team they are heading into January.

Wesley Woodyard, Denver's leading tackler, is vowing to be back on the field Sunday for the Broncos' showdown at Baltimore.  Woodyard missed the Broncos' game Thursday night at Oakland because of a sprained left ankle. He was replaced by veteran D.J. Williams and rookie Danny Trevathan.  Had the game been on Sunday, Woodyard said he definitely would have played. Instead, he got a week to recuperate from the injury he sustained Dec. 2 against Tampa Bay.

Woodyard, who has collected 97 tackles in his first year as the starter at weakside linebacker, said he agreed with the coaches and medical staff who held him out last week as the Broncos (10-3) won their eighth straight game.  (AP)