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One thing was clear in last night’s sole NFL game: the Dolphins did something on defense that clearly threw the Ravens offense off their game. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has consistently generated consideration for NFL MVP honors for each of the past three seasons, had what was for him a mediocre game. He completed 26 of 43 passes for 238 yards with one touchdown, but also one INT. He also led his team in rushing, ultimately gaining 39 yards on nine carries. Those numbers, however, were relatively pedestrian by his normal Superman standards. They also were not enough to carry the Ravens to a win on this day.
Another thing that proved costly for Baltimore were two turnovers, one of which was a fumble after a catch that was returned for a 49-yard touchdown by Miami cornerback Xavien Howard. That came early in the fourth quarter with the Fins already up, 9-3. The two-point conversion failed, so it was only 15-3 afterwards.
To their credit, the Ravens offense finally showed a spark of life after that, as they mounted an impressive 9 play, 99-yard drive after a beautiful punt that was downed on the one-yard line by Miami. But the Ravens responded with that impressive drive that culminated with Lamar Jackson finding Mark Andrews for a 5-yard touchdown pass to pull within five points with just over four minutes left to play.
However, the Dolphins were just too good on this night. The defense kept stuffing and frustrating the Ravens offense, and as mentioned before, the special teams outplayed Baltimore, as well. And on the ensuing drive, their offense finally put it together when they needed it the most, putting together a 6-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, with just over two minutes left.
Ball game.
Baltimore did try to get back into it with hopes of a quick score, but there was just too little time left for them to work with. Despite owning a slight advantage in time of possession and a more obvious one with 23 first downs gained, to just 17 for Miami, the Ravens lost, putting their lead in the AFC North at risk. They committed those two costly turnovers, and produced just 304 total yards of offense, while the Dolphins produced 350 yards.
Miami earned only their third win of the season, but it was their second straight win, and their first against a playoff team from last season.
Meanwhile, the Ravens loss drops them to 6-3 on the season. They had entered 11this game as one of only two AFC teams left with two losses, along with the Titans. But Tennessee now takes the lead in the race for the first seed and home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, as well as that all valuable playoff bye. The Ravens also lost some ground in their divisional lead, as the Steelers now have an opportunity to pull even should they win on Sunday, when they host the only remaining winless team in the league, the 0-8 Detroit Lions.
My pick: Inaccurate
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