Chris Harris (25) intercepts a pass by Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (not shown) and returns it for a touchdown (USA Today Sports).

Joe Flacco has an engrained picture lodged in his brain of a striding blue No. 25. That’s what Flacco saw for about 50 yards as he chased second year cornerback Chris Harris down the sideline to end the second half in week 15.

Down 10-0, the Baltimore Ravens had the Denver Broncos right where they wanted them, on their 4-yard line with 34 ticks left in the second quarter. On first and goal, Flacco dropped back to pass and saw Anquan Boldin wide open for an easy score. Harris jumped right in front of the pass at the 2-yard line, however, and took it 98 yards to put the Broncos up 17-0 at halftime. That play didn’t just steal the first half, it essentially put the game out of reach for the Ravens, and left Flacco with a bloody lip after making a last ditch attempt to tackle Harris before he crossed the goal line.

“I’m impressed because he is able to pick a lot of things up and not make mistakes,” Champ Bailey said of Harris. “You usually see a lot of mistakes out of young players but he is as sharp as they come. I think what really helps is his attitude towards everything. He doesn’t think there is anything he can’t do. The guy has a great attitude. That’s how he approaches everything.”

Chris Harris (25) warms up before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. (Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)

Right cornerback had been a revolving door for the Broncos before Harris solidified his starting job in training camp, even beating out Drayton Florence for a spot on the team. Harris came into the league as an undrafted rookie out of Kansas last season, earning significant playing time down the stretch. This season, he out-shined an injured Tracy Porter to secure an on-going starting role.

Harris ended the 2012 season with two pick-6′s which made him the first Broncos’ player to record multiple pick-6′s in a season since Bailey.

“It’s about winning one-on-one battles,” Harris said following Tuesday’s practice. “That’s the only thing we have to do. Go out there and try to win our one-on-one battles.”

Harris finished the regular season with 61 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2.5 sacks, and 12 passes defended. He’s winning those one-on-one battles and beyond.

Perhaps one key to Harris’s success this season is the team’s overall success last season. In a building-block type of organization, last year’s playoff appearance helped players like  Harris, Von Miller, Orlando Franklin, and others mature. They were able to shake off those playoff jitters during their rookie year which is an invaluable experience.

I would venture to say that I’m as comfortable with Harris at right corner as I would be with any other top-notch cover corner in the league. His performance and effort are on par with Bailey’s this season, and his knowledge is being cultivated daily because of Bailey.

Bailey has found his right hand man quite literally, and his name is Chris Harris.

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Dec 16 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) runs during the game against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of the gam at M

The Denver Broncos finally secured their signature victory of the season and it should be the win that silences their few remaining critics. They recorded their first road victory against a team with a winning record since 2005 and it came against a team that had owned them in previous seasons, especially when they’ve played in Baltimore.

The win pushed the Broncos winning streak to 9 games and the New England Patriots loss on Sunday Night Football means the Broncos control their own destiny for a playoff bye. If Denver wins their final 2 games, both at Mile High Stadium against teams below .500, they will get to watch the Wild Card games on TV and play at home in the Divisional Round. It would also mean a potential New England-Denver playoff matchup would be played in Colorado.

Here are some thoughts on the Broncos 34-17 thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens:

• Chris Harris made as big a game changing play as one can make in the NFL and he essentially put the game out of reach by halftime. His 98-yard pick 6 was a 14-point swing and it gave Denver a 17-0 lead at intermission. It held even bigger significance when you consider Baltimore would have had the ball to start the 2nd half and had some momentum with a score. The undrafted standout has solidified the Broncos secondary. He should be a mainstay for years to come.
• Despite the great effort by the offense, they could have played even better. They converted only 5 of 16 third-down conversion attempts which isn’t up to their standard. Their red zone struggles continued early in the game when Denver had to settle for a field goal on their second possession. But in what has become the norm this season, they turned it on down the stretch and blew away the Ravens. It will be quite a sight when this offense figures out how to play a solid 60 minutes.
• The Broncos ran the ball 45 times against Baltimore! Its obvious things are going well if the offense can rattle of that many rushing attempts. Knowshon Moreno got most of the work and he made the most of his chances. He finished with 118 yards and a touchdown and went into beast mode late in the 4th quarter. The playoff outlook for this team will be much brighter if Moreno can continue this level of play.
• The Broncos took possession of the ball with 14:31 remaining in the game and a 31-10 lead. What ensued was the definition of a championship-caliber drive. They ran the ball on 13 of 14 plays and took about 10 minutes off the clock. The Denver lead was never in danger, but a quick 3-and-out in that situation would have given Baltimore some life. Instead, Denver extinguished any hope and demoralized the Ravens in the process. Seeing the offense impose their will like that was a thing of beauty.
• Peyton Manning is just amazing to watch. Sometimes there isn’t much more to say than that. He didn’t come close to playing his best game but he still posted a quarterback rating of 94.9 and didn’t turn the ball over. This team is never in trouble as long as he is in the game.
• The entire defense played nasty once again, and Harris had the play of the day, but Derek Wolfe should be recognized for his monster effort. He had 4 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. The rookie’s play has been huge for the defensive front seven and he is a great complement to Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil coming off the edge.
• Matt Prater missed another field goal in the 40-49 yard range. This one came with no pressure as it was attempted late in garbage time. Hopefully he can get it between the uprights when Denver needs him in a big playoff spot.
• Next up for the Broncos is a home game against the Cleveland Browns next Sunday. A win will put Denver on the doorstep of a playoff bye. Go Broncos!

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Chris Harris (25) intercepts a pass by Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (not shown) and returns it for a touchdown. (US-PRESSWIRE)

There was no bigger play in the Denver Broncos’ 34-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens than right before halftime.

With the Broncos up 10-0, the Ravens were so close to scoring their first touchdown of the game right before halftime that they could smell the thick painted goal line under nose.

A 43-yard bomb by Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones followed by an 11-yard run by Ray Rice, and a 14-yard reception by Torrey Smith had the Ravens set up perfectly at Denver’s 4-yard line.

As Flacco dropped back, he saw a seemingly open Anquan Boldin on the left side of the field. Cornerback Chris Harris had other plans, however.

Harris jumped infront of Boldin for the interception and sprinted 98 yards down the sideline with only Flacco on his tail.

“I didn’t really expect him to throw that out-route, but he threw it to me, and I just wanted to make sure I scored,” Harris said. “That was a long run, but once I got to the 40, I was like, ‘I just have to stride it on in,’ but I was just making sure I definitely got into the end zone for the team.”

Just like that the Broncos owned a 17-0 lead at halftime rather than a 10-7 lead with the Ravens getting the ball to start the second half.

“It was a huge play,” head coach John Fox said. “I mean they’re down knocking on the door, and they threw a little diagonal route outside to (No.) 81 Anquan Boldin. Chris did a good job kind of hanging back there and stepped in front. It was right in front of our bench so he had a lot of direction on the way down that sideline.”

“The turnover is good,” Peyton Manning said. “The fact that he took it all the way to the house for a touchdown was even bigger…I thought it kind of jump started everything for us in the second half.”

The Broncos went on to put up 17 more points in the second half.

Harris’s play is the longest touchdown interception return for a touchdown in Broncos’ regular season history. It’s also Harris’s second interception returned for a touchdown this season which makes him the first player since Champ Bailey to record multiple pick-6′s in a season.

As a second year undrafted rookie, perhaps Manning (and the Broncos’ talented wide receivers) was Harris’s greatest gift next to being signed by the team last season. Harris has to see Manning and Co. in practice everyday, and accordingn to Manning, Harris is making good use of his practice time which translates to the success that he’s seeing in games.

“He’s a tough cover guy in practice,” Manning said. “We have good challenges and battles with him in practice whether he’s guarding (Brandon) Stokley, or (Eric) Decker, or DT (Demaryius Thomas), it’s been that way all season going against him and our secondary.”

Harris has been doing it all season with 51 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions (2 being pick-6′s), and 11 passes defended.

Harris wasn’t the only one to create a turnover Sunday. On the Ravens’ first offensive series, Flacco ran a quarterback sneak up the middle on 3rd-and-1. Former Raven and current Broncos’ nose tackle Justin Bannan got his hand in there, punched the ball out, and safety Rahim Moore recovered the ball. That turnover turned into Broncos points when Matt Prater nailed a 27-yard field goal.

“This game’s about momentum and making plays,” Fox said of the turnovers that the Broncos created. “Those are the kind of plays that change games.”

Those kind plays change games, change seasons, and change playoff forecasts. The Broncos’ playoff forecast: Bright with a strong chance of success.