The Ravens Demolished The Dolphins; Quick Hits

The Baltimore Ravens improved to 13-3, and officially claimed the #1 seed for the AFC Playoffs with a 56-19 demolishment of the Miami Dolphins. Coming off the heels of the Ravens win in San Francisco Christmas Night, the Ravens are now the clear favorite to win the Lombardi Trophy as the calendar turns to 2024. The road for the AFC Championship goes through Charm City!

Quick Hits: 

1) If you are a Dolphins fan, you could legitimately point to Miami being without Jaylen Waddle, and Raheem Mostert. That certainly impacts their offense. That said, Baltimore’s defense was without Kyle Hamilton, and Brandon Stephens. An NFL season is always impacted by attrition. You have to have quality depth. The Ravens offense has been able to sustain losing JK Dobbins, Mark Andrews, and Keaton Mitchell during this year. Today the Ravens were able to get by without Hamilton, and Stephens; with Geno Stone (now 2nd in the league with 7 interceptions), Ronald Darby, and Arthur Mallet again stepping up.

2) We’ve mentioned it before, but Jadeveon Clowney, and Kyle Van Noy have been huge additions for this Ravens defense. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta certainly gets credit there.  Their production all the more important since Tyus Bowser was never able to get back in action this year.

3) What a day for Justice Hill! 3 carries for 48 yards. 5 receptions for 64 yards and a TD. He also had a 78 yard kick return.  What you really liked about Mitchell was that additional speed / homerun ability he brought to the Ravens offense. Hill has plenty of speed. He’s always been good in blitz pickup, and on special teams. But today you saw him factoring in the offense like he was back in college at Oklahoma State.

4) Lamar Jackson entered today as the betting favorite for the MVP.  After his performance today, it would be a significant upset if Jackson does not claim his 2nd MVP.  18 of 21 passing, 321 yards, 5 TD’s.  Another 35 yards on the ground. He was in complete control, distributing the ball to his playmakers.  CBS Sports Evan Washburn interviewed him in the post-game, and the commentary from their studio crew in New York was remarking about how locked in Jackson seems. His maturity. Respectfully, I think that’s a positive Jackson has always had. He’s one of those guys that is always able to focus on the immediate task at hand. He always has the right mindset. Part of that is because you can tell he’s a guy that likes to compete. He doesn’t take plays and weeks off. He comes out each play, each week, looking to win those individual battles. He stacks win.

5) They aren’t going to put a trophy on display at 1 Winning Drive for ‘Best DVOA’, but the Ravens will enter the ’23 regular season final vs. Pittsburgh with a chance to be the #1 DVOA team off All-Time!

6) Gus Edwards had a good game with his 16 carries, 68 yards, and a score.  Zay Flowers continued his great rookie campaign, with 3 catches for 106, and a score. Rashod Bateman had 4 catches. The Ravens are getting production from lots of guys right now. That’s tough to prepare for, especially given all of the attention Jackson commands.

 

7) Another sack for Justin Madubuike! He should be an All-Pro. Odafe Oweh added his 5th sack.

8) During this week, and at parts during the game today; there was discussion of Miami’s comeback over the Ravens last year in Week 2.  One difference between now and the aforementioned depth that has been obtained. Another difference was the acquisition of Roquan Smith.  He provided the defense with a leader, and a real identity overall.  The Ravens Practice Facility has lots of signs on the walls saying, “Play Like A Raven.”  Basically, “Play with pride. Play strong, fast, physical. Give a damn. Dominate.”  And that’s exactly what the Ravens have done since Smith was obtained.

8a) I don’t know if the Ravens can figure out a way to keep Patrick Queen – we understand in a salary cap sport, you can’t have everyone. We also acknowledge that Smith will make anyone next to him ‘better.’ But Queen has played really well overall (can maybe still be picked on a little bit in pass defense) since Smith came on.  If there is a way to keep him, I’d like to have him for the next 3-5 years. He’s still just 24.

9) With the #1 seed locked up, it’s hard not to think about the last few Ravens seasons overall.

2019 – A great year.  The Ravens dominated teams.  Finished 14-2.  They benched most of the starters in Week 17 vs. Pittsburgh, and then had a bye, before losing to the Titans at home. For me, that was an example of the 1 game scenario that is the NFL post-season.  Derrick Henry rolled, and the Titans get credit.  The Ravens were punched in the mouth, and didn’t quite respond. It happens.

2020 – A horrible year for everyone on the planet.  The Ravens finished 11-5.  They did avenge the loss to the Titans, beating Tennessee in the Wild Card round, before losing to the Bills in Buffalo. Jackson had a pick 6, and was knocked out with a concussion.

2021 – The Ravens were 8-3 before finishing 8-9. Jackson missed the last month.  There were injuries all over the roster.

2022 – The Ravens finished 10-7, losing in the Wild Card round at Cincinnati. Jackson last played in Week 13. The Ravens had double-digit leads in each of their first 10 games.

Each of those four seasons could have resulted in ‘more.’
Maybe part of what is driving this ’23 team is knowing that.
Maybe the story – as compared to ’21, and ’22 – is simply that we’re entering January with Jackson healthy.
And a healthy Jackson means the Ravens have an opportunity vs anyone. And right now, there is a real opportunity for the Ravens franchise to win their 3rd Super Bowl title.

Up-Next: 

The Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Pittsburgh is 8-7 overall, currently tied with the Seahawks in Seattle.
The Ravens / Steelers rivalry isn’t what it was; but it still exists. It’s still a divisional foe. It’s still Harbaugh vs. Tomlin.
Win or lose today, Pittsburgh will be up for the Ravens.
Whoever is out there, it will be a physical game.
Knowing that, and with the #1 seed locked up, obviously there is logic to the idea of not exposing Jackson and other starters in a game the Ravens don’t have to have.
That said, I would want the starters to prepare to play, and get ‘some’ time.  I don’t like the idea of giving them off in Week 17, followed by a bye, and then not playing until the Divisional Round on Jan. 20th or 21st.
Come out and execute, and then get off the field.

ESPN’s Match-Up predictor gives the Ravens a 81% chance of winning.