This Sunday, many teams will have their playoff fate decided, and although the Dolphins already clinched a playoff spot, they now get a chance to clinch the AFC East and compete for the first overall seed in the AFC, and get home-field advantage in the playoffs and a bye week. For that reason,
many people are saying this might be the Dolphin’s most important regular season game in over 20 years, and I agree. This is the first time in my lifetime that the Dolphins could potentially get the number one seed in the AFC, and that’s why I also consider this game the most important regular season game of my life so far.
We know the Dolphins have had a lot of success this year on both sides of the ball, but so have the Ravens, who currently have the best record in the NFL, and it’s not for no reason. The Ravens have the number one scoring defense in the entire NFL, allowing only 16.3 points per game. They also lead the league with 54 sacks and rank second with 26 takeaways. The one aspect of their defense that is the weakest is their run defense. I am not saying it is bad, but it’s not their bright spot. In any case, the Dolphins should try to run the ball as much as possible, especially since Jaylen Waddle has officially been ruled out for the game.
Another thing to consider is the Ravens’ Linebacker duo, which consists of Raquon Smith and Patrick Queen, a deadly pair. This is really bad news for the Dolphins, who love to throw the ball down the middle of the field, and these linebackers are great at everything, including coverage. Tua has to be careful and not put his receivers in a position where they can get hurt by one of these linebackers, he still needs to throw the ball down the middle of the field, he just has to be careful about that and about turnovers.
The Ravens are coming off a short week after playing the 49ers in San Francisco on Monday night, which gives a good advantage to the Dolphins, who had almost two days more rest. The Dolphins are going to have to take advantage of this and make it the most physical game they have played this season to drain the Ravens; as I said before, run the ball. As long as the Dolphins run the ball and protect the ball, they should be able to walk out of Baltimore with the win.
Now, on the other side of things, the Dolphin’s defense is going to be facing its hardest task going against Lamar Jackson and his offense. We all know of the success this defense has had since Jalen Ramsey came back, but playing against Lamar Jackson is different than anybody else. Of course, there are other quarterbacks that can run the ball, but none of them can do it quite like Lamar. Lamar has a special ability to extend the play while keeping his eyes downfield and not forcing the run unless he has to, which makes it extremely difficult for defenses defending him because they never know when he might just take off and run for thirty yards and a first down. It is also incredibly hard to sack him, and he seems to be able to escape almost any pressure, so if the Defense wants to get to him is going to have to be patient and in a team effort, meaning the front four have to rush as a unit not leaving any escape option for Lamar and just contain him and trap him in the pocket. I am sure Vic Fangio is going to consider having a spy to limit Lamar Jackson from running so much.
But even if you stop Lamar, you still have to stop their run game, which leads the league in yards per game. That’s why being physical at the line of scrimmage is going to determine this game. Zach Sieler and Christina Wilkins will be important parts of the gameplan as they will have to do everything in their power to limit their run game, which opens up their passing and play-action game.
The Ravens tend to struggle in the 4th quarter like we have seen on many occasions this year and even a couple of times last year, including that Dolphins game where the Dolphins came back down twenty-one points in the 4th quarter. This doesn’t mean that the Dolphins should wait until the 4th quarter to start playing their best, the complete opposite, they need a fast start and that way by the end of the game you don’t have to worry about the Ravens destroying you in the 4th quarter, because they won’t.
In summary, the Dolphins have to run the ball, protect the ball, be physical, and get off to a fast start. If they do all of this, then they will easily win this game. Honestly it won’t be an easy game by any means, this is the team with the best record in football we are taking about, but if they can attack their weaknesses and take advantage of their extra day of rest it shouldn’t be as hard as it looks. Let’s go win the game and win the division.
#FinsUp.
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