Nearly a dozen weeks later, the Ravens (11-5) have every intention of duplicating that commanding display against the Dolphins (11-5) in today’s AFC wild-card playoff game at Dolphin Stadium.
This encounter should provide a true litmus test on which one of two teams’ improbable success stories is built for a sustained run, and which one is just fortunate to be included in the postseason.
The outcome will probably be determined by whichever football team has improved the most since the Ravens’ 27-13 victory here in October. This game should decide whether the Dolphins are really up to the task against a quality opponent after winning the AFC East title by thriving against a weak schedule to win nine of its past 10 games and enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak.
The Ravens used the Dolphins as a springboard to their playoff run, snapping a three-game losing streak in the first meeting and exacting revenge for last year’s bitter overtime loss that allowed Miami to go 1-15 and avoid a winless season. The Dolphins’ vaunted Wildcat offense was held to just four yards on five plays.
Including the triumph at Miami, the Ravens have won nine of their past 11 games.
"Everybody talks about the Dolphins being on this ride," Ravens star middle linebacker Ray Lewis said. "We don’t care about the Dolphins’ ride. We’re on our own ride. If there’s any change we’re excited about it, it’s our change."
Indeed.
It has been a surprising ride defined by the Ravens’ second-ranked defense continuing the tradition of brutalizing opponents and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco emerging as a viable passer with the offense finally becoming an equal partner after years of stepbrother status.
The Ravens’ offense has scored 337 points this season. Eight years ago, the Ravens’ Super Bowl victor scored just 309 points.
Although the Ravens aren’t exactly the definition of explosiveness yet, they have come a long way since 2006 when they fell to the Indianapolis Colts 15-6 in the divisional round despite the defense keeping Peyton Manning from scoring a touchdown as kicker Adam Vinatieri booted five field goals.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve tried to get it that way, and this is the first year we’ve succeeded,” Ravens veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason said. “The defense doesn’t worry about us, and we don’t worry about the defense. No longer do we have the mentality of ‘just manage the game and the defense will win it.’ No. ‘Defense, you just stop guys, and we’ll win it for you.’”
With Flacco at the controls, the Ravens have piled up the points with commanding wins over the Houston Texans (41-13), Philadelphia Eagles (36-7), Cincinnati Bengals (34-3), Oakland Raiders (29-10) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (27-7). Flacco has thrown 13 touchdown passes in the past 11 games with just five interceptions.
"Where they’ve grown the most is at the quarterback position," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. "He has total command of the entire playbook. He can keep the play alive, kind of Tony Romo-like. I just see a completely different kid back there right now from the first time we played."
Added Lewis: "Joe is one of those gifted ones. Joe is going to be a special kid. He has every athletic attribute to play the quarterback position the way he plays it, and you can see that in his demeanor when he’s on the football field, the way he directs his troops on offense and really gets guys going. Just the way he plays the ga me, Joe is really one who’s special."
Flacco’s quantum leap of improvement is the biggest change involving the Ravens other than the offensive line’s maturation.
With a low-key personality that includes a dry sense of humor and uncommon composure, Flacco is on a roll. And his confidence is showing despite seeming relatively detached as the Ravens got ready for today’s matchup.
"Once we get down to Miami and we win the game, then I’ll be pretty excited," said Flacco, who has been tutored adeptly by offensive coordinator and former Dolphins coach Cam Cameron and quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson. "Right now, we’re working towards what we have to do to go down there and beat Miami. I am who I am right now. Once we go down there and get the job done, then I’ll be pretty excited to move on to next week."
To advance to next weekend’s divisional round against the top-seeded Tennessee Titans, who narrowly escaped with a 13-10 win over Baltimore early in the season, the Ravens will need to maintain their formula of timely passes, a bruising running game ranked fourth in the NFL and capitalizing on turnovers.
The Ravens rank second in the league in converting turnovers into touchdowns.
"We expected to be here, [coach John Harbaugh] did a good job of preparing us and really putting his foot on the gas and taking this team to the next level," linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "He’s done his job and we’re in the playoffs, and now we’ve got to see how far we can go."
Meanwhile, the Dolphins’ level of competition is in doubt having won games against the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets.
Nonetheless, the Dolphins haven’t forgotten the beating the Ravens administered in the first meeting.
"They do their best to intimidate you," cornerback Andre Goodman told Miami reporters. "They did a good job of it the first game, but this is a different team."
It’s definitely vastly different from last year’s sad-sack outfit.
The Dolphins have been revitalized by quarterback Chad Pennington, who was discarded by the New York Jets in August and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year this week having thrown just seven interceptions and completing 67.4 percent of his throws.
Miami’s 10-game improvement is tied for the best in NFL history.
"We went from the outhouse to the penthouse," said linebacker Joey Porter, who leads the AFC with 17 1/2 sacks.
The Ravens’ rise is nearly as dramatic, though, after last year’s 5-11 debacle. With Harbaugh instilling more discipline as a rookie coach into a team that had grown lax with a sense of entitlement under former coach Brian Billick, today could be an indicator of just how far the Ravens have grown and whether they’re primed for an extended postseason run.
There’s a bit of symmetry afoot here, too. The Ravens’ last playoff win was seven years ago against the Dolphins, a 20-3 win on Jan. 13, 2002. And the Super Bowl is in Tampa, Fla., where they won Super Bowl XXXV over the20New York Giants in 2000.
Hopeful, new-age oriented fans are starting to talk about karma and cosmic convergences.
"It’s one thing to sense getting in the playoffs," Lewis said. "It’s another thing to sense that you can actually make a real move in the playoffs. If you’re a Ravens fan, if you’ve watched us long enough, we’re gonna be tough. We’re gonna be tough if we go play our type of football. When you do feel that type of energy, that energy gives you a different confidence."
