At this point, does any game actually feel like it should be a win by the Ravens? Every single game, every single match up, every single play call- it all feels like it goes sideways from the way it actually should go. The Ravens should win behind a strong defensive performance and an adequate offensive performance? How about a 40 point game for each offense where the Ravens run defense gets run all over? The offense should have a strong day? How about two field goals and a few special teams touchdowns?
With the Miami Dolphins coming to town for a Thursday night match up, I expect much of the same from the Ravens- the Ravens will be a team that is impossible to predict and everything that has ailed the Dolphins to this point will be cured because the Ravens are essentially each team’s bye week, unless you happen to be the Cleveland Browns. While I will faithfully watch each and every Ravens game, this Thursday not being an exception, I have less and less hope as the weeks go by, this game also not being an exception. Still, each and every game must be played because there is always the potential for surprise.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the key match-ups for the upcoming game.
Key Match-Ups
The Ravens Run Defense vs Jay Ajayi: Brandon Williams returned last week for the Ravens defense and I personally had extremely high hopes that the run defense would turn around against a Minnesota Vikings team that was missing star rookie Dalvin Cook. Unfortunately, even with a weak offensive line, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon carved up the Ravens defense. Over the past five weeks, the Ravens have allowed 170 rushing yards on average, mostly against teams that should not have this sort of success against a defense the caliber of the Ravens.
Jay Ajayi could very likely be the next in line to continue the unprecedented success against a Ravens run defense that nearly ranks last in the NFL. Despite only surpassing 4.0 yards twice in seven games and only surpassing 100 yards twice on the season with zero touchdowns, something tells me that Ajayi may find 100 yards rushing, over 4.0 yards per rush, and a touchdown for the first time this season.
With Matt Moore manning the Dolphins quarterback spot, much like Case Keenum for the Vikings, the Dolphins will likely try to lean on Ajayi early and often. Hopefully the Ravens can get back to the fundamentals and stop the run this week for the first time in six weeks.
Marty Mornhinweg vs the Dolphins Defense: I am of the mindset that Marty Mornhingweg is definitely not the answer for the Baltimore Ravens in the long term, but that he still is not quite as bad as some make him out to be due to a very injured offensive line, up and down play from Joe Flacco, and inconsistent attendance from his receivers. However, this game could make me very quickly change my mind and put the blame nearly 100% on Mornhingweg.
The Dolphins currently sit at fifth in total run defense, but have seen the third fewest attempts against their defense. If history has taught us anything, it is that Mornhingweg will probably fail to adequately run the ball, even when it is working well for the Ravens. However, he needs to stay committed to the run and pound the rock early and often. Why is it so vital? The Dolphins are currently second worst in the NFL with a passer rating allowed of 127.4 against play action. Flacco historically done extremely well with play action and the Dolphins are extremely poor against the play action. It is a near perfect match up for the Ravens.
Will Mornhingweg wise up and stay committed to the run for the sake of the play action, something we have rarely seen in recent weeks? Will we see more deep shots schemed for the incredibly strong arm of Flacco? Given the recent play calling, probably not, but one can hope.
The Ravens Secondary vs the Dolphins Passing Game: If there actually is a clear strength to the Baltimore Ravens roster, it would 100% be the secondary lead by Jimmy Smith. With only six games in the books, the Ravens lead the NFL with 10 interceptions and sit currently at seventh in total yards per game allowed with just under 190 yards allowed.
Despite all of this, the Ravens defense still struggled to contain Adam Thielen and Jairus Wright in the slot as Lardarius Webb was abused all day long. With Jarvis Landry coming to town with the Miami Dolphins, it could be much of the same if Webb is put back into the starting line up. Instead, we should hope that Jaylen Hill, who took on a very large role to close out the Vikings game, continues to see increasing snaps inside the slot. If Hill can manage to hold his own against Landry, Smith and Brandon Carr should have no issues containing Devante Parker and Kenny Stills on the outside.
With a strong performance from a very talented corner trio, the Ravens safeties could take advantage of Matt Moore, a quarterback who has not been the least bit a stranger to throwing interceptions. I expect that a strong day from the secondary and a few interceptions will be the only way that the Ravens will have a shot at victory.
Final Score Prediction
After two astonishing second half comebacks in a row, the Dolphins will look to have a much easier week against the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, as I said before, something tells me that the Ravens will again look like a bye week for another team. Of course, because I said all of this, the Ravens will shut down the run, grab three interceptions, and Joe Flacco and the offense will go off for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Miamia Dolphins: 24, Baltimore Ravens: 17
Sorry for the lack of a response last week. Life gets in the way sometimes. So let me do a quick thing pertaining to your matchups.
The Ravens run defense vs. Jay Ajayi- Even when our run defense was good, Ajayi is the type of back that our team struggles against. Powerful, violent. The big issue along the run game have been the edges and poor angles taken by the safeties(no that’s not a Dean Pees problem. I don’t think he’s great, but that’s not his fault). Ultimately, I see more of the same here. Ajayi is going to be leaned on heavily with no Cutler in the starting lineup, and I think Ajayi is going to eat us alive. If we shut down the run, we are going to win this game.
Marty vs. the Dolphins Defense- Best gameplan Marty ever had for us was against the Dolphins. While Flacco has been poor, so has the rest of the situation around him. While I am critical of Marty, people have to understand that the offenses’ problems don’t solely on him. Our lack of personnel is going to kill us. However, there could be things we could take advantage of if Maclin is back healthy, given that Maxwell was released earlier this week. I am just hoping we can take more deep shots down the field, otherwise it is going to be a long game.
Ravens Secondary vs. Dolphins Passing Game- This one is something I am less worried about. Our corners this season have been a highlight of the team. What worries me is the poor safety play. Neither of these players are historically terrible so I have to wonder if they are going to turn it around. I am going to hope that we let Jaylen Hill test the waters vs. a backup quarterback and that Webb takes on more of a reserve safety role, which should boost the safety core and allow us to do some better packages(lordy we miss Tavon Young). But I think this is a game where we can force a few key interceptions.
Final Score Prediction: 24-10, Dolphins
Sorry guys. I have zero faith in this offense. People need to see that there’s more to the problem than Flacco and Marty. The unit is just not playing well, and one of the best players is injured. Sure, the Dolphins passing defense is down Maxwell, who’s solid, but I still have to give the edge to the Dolphins. I think Ajayi is going to run all over this defense and This will be another Loss for us. I hope I’m wrong, and I hope Flacco has a turnaround game. But I doubt it. We need a bye week badly.
With the Miami Dolphins coming to town for a Thursday night match up, I expect much of the same from the Ravens- the Ravens will be a team that is impossible to predict and everything that has ailed the Dolphins to this point will be cured because the Ravens are essentially each team’s bye week, unless you happen to be the Cleveland Browns. While I will faithfully watch each and every Ravens game, this Thursday not being an exception, I have less and less hope as the weeks go by, this game also not being an exception. Still, each and every game must be played because there is always the potential for surprise.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the key match-ups for the upcoming game.
Key Match-Ups
The Ravens Run Defense vs Jay Ajayi: Brandon Williams returned last week for the Ravens defense and I personally had extremely high hopes that the run defense would turn around against a Minnesota Vikings team that was missing star rookie Dalvin Cook. Unfortunately, even with a weak offensive line, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon carved up the Ravens defense. Over the past five weeks, the Ravens have allowed 170 rushing yards on average, mostly against teams that should not have this sort of success against a defense the caliber of the Ravens.
Jay Ajayi could very likely be the next in line to continue the unprecedented success against a Ravens run defense that nearly ranks last in the NFL. Despite only surpassing 4.0 yards twice in seven games and only surpassing 100 yards twice on the season with zero touchdowns, something tells me that Ajayi may find 100 yards rushing, over 4.0 yards per rush, and a touchdown for the first time this season.
With Matt Moore manning the Dolphins quarterback spot, much like Case Keenum for the Vikings, the Dolphins will likely try to lean on Ajayi early and often. Hopefully the Ravens can get back to the fundamentals and stop the run this week for the first time in six weeks.
Marty Mornhinweg vs the Dolphins Defense: I am of the mindset that Marty Mornhingweg is definitely not the answer for the Baltimore Ravens in the long term, but that he still is not quite as bad as some make him out to be due to a very injured offensive line, up and down play from Joe Flacco, and inconsistent attendance from his receivers. However, this game could make me very quickly change my mind and put the blame nearly 100% on Mornhingweg.
The Dolphins currently sit at fifth in total run defense, but have seen the third fewest attempts against their defense. If history has taught us anything, it is that Mornhingweg will probably fail to adequately run the ball, even when it is working well for the Ravens. However, he needs to stay committed to the run and pound the rock early and often. Why is it so vital? The Dolphins are currently second worst in the NFL with a passer rating allowed of 127.4 against play action. Flacco historically done extremely well with play action and the Dolphins are extremely poor against the play action. It is a near perfect match up for the Ravens.
Will Mornhingweg wise up and stay committed to the run for the sake of the play action, something we have rarely seen in recent weeks? Will we see more deep shots schemed for the incredibly strong arm of Flacco? Given the recent play calling, probably not, but one can hope.
The Ravens Secondary vs the Dolphins Passing Game: If there actually is a clear strength to the Baltimore Ravens roster, it would 100% be the secondary lead by Jimmy Smith. With only six games in the books, the Ravens lead the NFL with 10 interceptions and sit currently at seventh in total yards per game allowed with just under 190 yards allowed.
Despite all of this, the Ravens defense still struggled to contain Adam Thielen and Jairus Wright in the slot as Lardarius Webb was abused all day long. With Jarvis Landry coming to town with the Miami Dolphins, it could be much of the same if Webb is put back into the starting line up. Instead, we should hope that Jaylen Hill, who took on a very large role to close out the Vikings game, continues to see increasing snaps inside the slot. If Hill can manage to hold his own against Landry, Smith and Brandon Carr should have no issues containing Devante Parker and Kenny Stills on the outside.
With a strong performance from a very talented corner trio, the Ravens safeties could take advantage of Matt Moore, a quarterback who has not been the least bit a stranger to throwing interceptions. I expect that a strong day from the secondary and a few interceptions will be the only way that the Ravens will have a shot at victory.
Final Score Prediction
After two astonishing second half comebacks in a row, the Dolphins will look to have a much easier week against the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, as I said before, something tells me that the Ravens will again look like a bye week for another team. Of course, because I said all of this, the Ravens will shut down the run, grab three interceptions, and Joe Flacco and the offense will go off for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Miamia Dolphins: 24, Baltimore Ravens: 17
Sorry for the lack of a response last week. Life gets in the way sometimes. So let me do a quick thing pertaining to your matchups.
The Ravens run defense vs. Jay Ajayi- Even when our run defense was good, Ajayi is the type of back that our team struggles against. Powerful, violent. The big issue along the run game have been the edges and poor angles taken by the safeties(no that’s not a Dean Pees problem. I don’t think he’s great, but that’s not his fault). Ultimately, I see more of the same here. Ajayi is going to be leaned on heavily with no Cutler in the starting lineup, and I think Ajayi is going to eat us alive. If we shut down the run, we are going to win this game.
Marty vs. the Dolphins Defense- Best gameplan Marty ever had for us was against the Dolphins. While Flacco has been poor, so has the rest of the situation around him. While I am critical of Marty, people have to understand that the offenses’ problems don’t solely on him. Our lack of personnel is going to kill us. However, there could be things we could take advantage of if Maclin is back healthy, given that Maxwell was released earlier this week. I am just hoping we can take more deep shots down the field, otherwise it is going to be a long game.
Ravens Secondary vs. Dolphins Passing Game- This one is something I am less worried about. Our corners this season have been a highlight of the team. What worries me is the poor safety play. Neither of these players are historically terrible so I have to wonder if they are going to turn it around. I am going to hope that we let Jaylen Hill test the waters vs. a backup quarterback and that Webb takes on more of a reserve safety role, which should boost the safety core and allow us to do some better packages(lordy we miss Tavon Young). But I think this is a game where we can force a few key interceptions.
Final Score Prediction: 24-10, Dolphins
Sorry guys. I have zero faith in this offense. People need to see that there’s more to the problem than Flacco and Marty. The unit is just not playing well, and one of the best players is injured. Sure, the Dolphins passing defense is down Maxwell, who’s solid, but I still have to give the edge to the Dolphins. I think Ajayi is going to run all over this defense and This will be another Loss for us. I hope I’m wrong, and I hope Flacco has a turnaround game. But I doubt it. We need a bye week badly.
