Preview by Anders Culiner
The Baltimore Ravens will begin a two-game homestand for the final weeks of the regular season, and the team’s next battle will have serious playoff implications on the line with the Miami Dolphins rolling into town.
The Ravens advanced to 12-3 after taking home a fifth straight victory last week in a Christmas beatdown of the NFC’s top team, the San Francisco 49ers. Not only did Baltimore beat a Super Bowl contender, the team outclassed the 49ers in every facet of the game, which bodes well considering the Dolphins have a stacked roster of their own.
Miami comes into this one sitting atop the AFC East, boasting a record of 11-4. They’ve shown a unique ability to turn any game into a track meet with an offense that has blazing speed at all the skill positions.
This tilt is more than just a meeting between two divisional leaders, it will essentially be for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Baltimore can lock it up with a win, while the Dolphins will need to come out on top in their remaining games to do so.
The Ravens will need to rewrite the story against Miami as they have lost their last two against the teal and orange, and Lamar Jackson will need to be ready to go toe-to-toe with Tua Tagovailoa and his high-flying receivers.
A bye in the first round is more critical than ever these days given that only the top seed gets to skip the Wild Card round, and when looking at Baltimore’s dubious history with injuries, a week off is vital.
Who isn’t excited to see this pair of AFC powerhouses duke it out with postseason scenarios at stake? I certainly am, and that’s why it’s time to get right to the preview!
1) Lamar and his history against Miami
The South Florida-raised Jackson has played the Dolphins three times in his career, and each game told a completely different story.
I’m sure every Ravens fan remembers his first outing at Hard Rock Stadium, where he torched Miami with five touchdown passes while posting a perfect passer rating. We also got arguably his most famous press conference soundbite when he started it off by saying “Not bad for a running back.”
Unfortunately, his last two against the Dolphins didn’t end similarly. In 2021, Miami held Jackson in check as the Ravens fell 22-10 on a Thursday night encounter. Last season, Baltimore hosted them in their home opener, and while Jackson played a solid game, a second half collapse paved the way for another Dolphins win.
One aspect that will be working in the Ravens’ favor is the temperatures, and even though we’re not anticipating a brutally cold affair, the opposition will not have the humid conditions that they are accustomed to.
Jackson is the heartbeat of Baltimore’s offense, and it is important that they find success on that side of the ball because there is a very realistic chance they will need to keep pace with Miami’s speed-focused aerial attack standing in their way.
2) The need for speed
Miami has an offense with an amount of horsepower that rivals that of a Lamborghini.
Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane make up a dangerous backfield tandem, as both backs have over 600 rushing yards on the year. Mostert in particular is a touchdown machine, and he is fresh off of setting the Dolphins’ franchise record for most scores in a season.
Miami’s aerial circus is led by Tagovailoa, who has become an elite passer ever since the arrival of his two most prominent options Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Waddle arrived in South Beach when he was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. The young wideout quickly made a name for himself as he has reached the 1,000-yard mark in all of his seasons as a pro. Waddle alone is a tough customer to contain, but his running mate on the other side of the field might be the closest thing we have to a human cheat code.
Hill was acquired via trade in 2022, and to say his presence in the Dolphins’ offense is noticeable would be underselling it. Hill had already established himself as the league’s best wide receiver as a member of the Kansas City Cheifs, with his unprecedented speed being his defining factor. That success has carried over ever since his trade, and he is currently in the midst of his best season yet with 1,641 receiving yards and twelve touchdowns.
Baltimore is unfortunately all too familiar with the damage Hill is capable of inflicting. The man they call “The Cheetah” had plenty of notable games against the Ravens during his time in Kansas City, and in his visit to the Bank with his current team last year, he ended the day with 190 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Miami’s offense poses a quick strike ability like no other, and Baltimore’s secondary will need to be at their very best if they want to prevent this one from turning into a foot race.
3) Don’t forget about the Ravens’ offense
As the Ravens continue to rattle off wins, their offense seems to look better as the weeks go by.
Remember at the start of the season when people were wondering when Baltimore would break open when controlling the ball? Well, they have answered those questions with emphasis during the second half of the year.
Odell Beckham Jr. has turned back the clock looking more like his old self, and Zay Flowers has been finding the endzone more and more after not scoring a touchdown in his first five outings.
What is even more impressive is that they have been doing this without Mark Andrews, Keaton Mitchell, and J.K. Dobbins.
If Baltimore is due for their offensive showing so far, this week would be the perfect week for that to happen, especially if Hill and Waddle are getting open for 50-yard touchdowns.
