After 5 straight losses to their divisional rivals, the Ravens finally eked out a win over the Cincinatti Bengals to improve to 6-5 and re-take their position atop the AFC North with Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore will now play one of the hottest teams in football in the Miami Dolphins, winners of 6 straight after an equally close win over the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday. Every game from here on out is important for the Ravens chances to make it to the postseason, and a home game like this against a conference foe is for all intents and purposes another must-win game. The Dolphins will certainly be a tough test as they sport a formidable defense and a revamped offense, so what do the Ravens have to do to come away with a much needed W?
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Seemingly every week the Ravens offense puts together a TD drive that makes fans sit back and wonder where this type of game-planning and execution has been all season. Why is it that the offense can look like a well-oiled machine and then completely disappear for the rest of the game? Part of the problem can be chalked up to penalties that have set the offense well behind, but even in games where the offense is not highly penalized the ineffectiveness inevitably creeps up. The running game that was churning out 5 and 10 yard gains is suddenly limited to short gains and negative plays. Receivers that were once open on 3rd down can no longer gain separation forcing Joe Flacco to scramble or throw the ball away. Perhaps it is simply a function of the opposing defense making the necessary adjustments while the offense cannot, or perhaps the offensive play-calling tries to get too cute, getting away from what works. Whatever the cause for the offensive inconsistencies, the Ravens are running out of time to figure it out.
The Miami Dolphins can potentially serve as a litmus test for the Ravens offensive play-calling. Coming into week 13, the Dolphins are a middle of the pack defense overall, but they have a major weakness against the run, allowing 4.6 YPC. Will Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg find creative ways to attack this weakness while still engineering a balanced offensive attack? The Ravens have utilized the no-huddle offense with some success the past two home games. Perhaps a stronger commitment to this approach will yield dividends? One thing that the Ravens cannot afford to do is rely too heavily on their passing attack. The Dolphins have a strong pass-rush led by veterans Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake. If the Ravens get predictable it will be a long day for the offensive line. In my estimation, Baltimore needs to get rookie RB Kenneth Dixon involved early and often as he has looked to be one of the team’s best playmakers in recent weeks. Utilize the speed of Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman on play action to create room underneath for the TEs and FB Kyle Juszczyk. The Ravens offensive play-calling has been head-scratching at times this season, so we will have to wait and see if the coaching staff can formulate a gameplan that will attack the opposing team’s biggest weakness.
The most interesting match-up in this game will be the Ravens top ranked defense versus the Dolphins rushing attack. Second year RB Jay Ajayi is having a breakout campaign behind a dominant run-blocking OL averaging 5.3 YPC. While the Dolphins may be without one or more of their starting offensive lineman, it should still be another interesting intersection of strength versus strength. There is also an interesting sub-plot within this match-up as Dolphins LG/LT Laremy Tunsil, who the Ravens infamously passed on in the draft, has been a standout performer for the “fish”. While it’s possible Tunsil could miss the game due to a shoulder injury, if he does take the field, one would have to imagine he might have a little extra motivation.
The last time the Ravens defense lined up against a top rated rushing attack, they held their own holding Dallas Cowboys star rookie Ezekiel Elliott under 4 YPC. However, the Ravens commitment to stopping the run in part allowed QB Dak Prescott to pick apart the secondary. Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill may have a similar opportunity to test the Ravens coverage unit with WRs Jarvis Landry and DaVante Parker, who along with speedster Kenny Stills from a dynamic receiving corps. Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees will be hoping to get CB Jimmy Smith back from an ailing back as the Dolphins have the talent to test the Ravens through the air. Baltimore will have to figure out a way to generate a consistent pass-rush to fluster Tannehill as the defense has been susceptible at times when they can’t make opposing QBs uncomfortable. Having a healthy Elvis Dumervil across from Terrell Suggs proved to be critical for the Ravens in their match-up this past week, and it may be the difference in this upcoming game as well.
The Ravens and Dolphins are two fairly evenly matched teams, and it will be interesting to see how the individual match-ups play out. Will the Ravens be able to take advantage of the Dolphins suspect run defense? How will the Dolphins rushing attack fare against the Ravens stalwart front seven? It is quite likely that the answer to these questions will decide the outcome of this game, and it will be interesting to see how each team adjusts along the way.
Ravens 23 – Dolphins 20
Ravens Analyst
Gabe is an avid fan of the NFL and Ravens football. He grew up in Westminster, MD, and attended college at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Biology. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and now works as a R&D Scientist developing Transplant Diagnostics assays. Gabe has appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan.