The Ravens welcome the Miami Dolphins in their home opener as 3 ½ point favorites. One would think that given the embarrassing loss at Hard Rock Stadium last season that John Harbaugh & Co. will look to answer that ugly 22-10 blitzing by the Fish. Will they? Without further ado, our RSR Staff Bold Predictions.
Tony Lombardi
The Ravens are 8-2 in their last 10 battles against Miami but the one that everyone seems to remember most is 2021’s horrific outing in South Florida, when Lamar Jackson was sacked four times, hurried often and forced to ad lib on broken down play after broken down play thanks to a wonderfully structured game plan by Brian Flores & Co. The Ravens were a paltry 2 of 14 on third down conversions and lost the turnover battle 2-0 including a 49-yard fumble recovery and return for touchdown by Xavien Howard. The outcome haunted the Ravens and inspired future opponents. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has had an entire offseason to find a solution for the Dolphins’ exotic blitz packages. Did he?
• Lamar will have slightly better success against the Dolphins this time around but it won’t be flawless. He’ll connect with Mark Andrews for one score from 18 yards out. But the Ravens will struggle a bit in the red zone converting just 1 of 5 trips inside the 20 for TDs.
• The Ravens will once again find the sledding tough on the ground, but they will manage to push the rushing yardage total to north of 100.
• On defense the big guys up front will get to Tua Tagovailoa enough to rattle him and force a mistake when Brent Urban tips a pass that is picked off by Kyle Hamilton inside Miami territory.
• Tua will have some success underneath as a nicked up Ravens secondary opts to prevent the home run ball against the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The latter will get to do his little end zone dance. The dink and dunk approach will allow Miami to control the football for 32 of the game’s 60 minutes.
• Former Raven Raheem Mostert will hit pay dirt and have a productive afternoon. He’ll get a score and 80 yards on 16 carries. The touchdown run will come from 20+ yards out.
• The difference in the game will be the foot of Justin Tucker who boots five field goals. The Ravens will hold on at the end of the game as the Dolphins try but fail to move into field goal territory during the game’s last meaningful possession.
Ravens 22, Dolphins 20
Darin McCann
This is a bit of a revenge game for the Ravens following the dragging the Dolphins gave them on national television last season. All eyes will be on how the Ravens deal with the Dolphins’ pressure packages, but I feel like this is going to come down to making some splash plays on offense, and the Ravens’ defensive line continuing their strong play from a week ago and knocking the Dolphins’ offense out of sync. Here are some predictions:
• The Ravens do have a strategy to beat this pressure and it’s “Feed 89.” Mark Andrews will catch 10-plus balls for more than 125 yards and a touchdown.
• Lamar Jackson continues his big-play prowess from the opener and hits at least four passes of more than 25 yards. He also puts up 100 yards on the ground.
• Kyle Hamilton gets his first NFL interception on a batted pass at the line.
• Devin Duvernay shows up again, with five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Ravens 27 Dolphins 14
Rob Shields
This is a sneaky big game early in the season. Miami figures to be in the playoff race and this game could prove huge down the road for playoff implications.
Last year in Miami, the Ravens lost and that started the downward spiral in many ways. Miami ran zero blitz and the Ravens had no answer for it. Lamar never seemed to recover from the blitzes the rest of the year.
Of course, if Sammy Watkins catches a very catchable ball and doesn’t stop running in the end zone, perhaps that game plays out differently, but overall Miami took it to the Ravens.
Miami is led by a different coach and a guy that is very innovative in Mike McDaniel. They have also brought in Tyreek Hill and have perhaps the fastest WR duo in the league with Hill and Jaylen Waddle. I figure Marcus Peters is back this week but he’s obviously rusty, so it will be interesting to see how Baltimore’s secondary fares against these WRs.
That said, Tua can’t exploit the Ravens back end and that should help out a defense that is still working itself back. The key this game will be tackling and keeping those WR in front of them. Miami’s run game isn’t much of a threat, so I would think the Ravens can drop a lot of guys in coverage and try to jam up the middle of the field and within 15 yards of the LoS to make it harder for Tua to find open guys.
Offensively, I look for the Ravens to be more efficient running the ball and Lamar and the WR should continue to build on what they do. Rashod Bateman will likely draw Xavien Howard, so it will be interesting to see if they try to get him more targets than last week. I also hope to see James Proche worked in more this week.
Will we see Ronnie Stanley and/or JK Dobbins this week? I tend to doubt Stanley will be back. I would think they want him to practice more. Dobbins stands a good chance to be back, I think. He will obviously be on a pitch count.
I look for the Ravens to win this game 24-13.
Adam Bonaccorsi
Tua was quoted as saying “if they can’t see me, I can’t see them” about his receivers, and with the way the Ravens DL will push the pocket into Tua’s lap on Sunday, we may as well call him Stevie Wonder. Defensively the Ravens force three turnovers on the day thanks to errant Tua passes (Chuck Clark, Marcus Williams) and a strip sack (Justin Houston).
Quite the contrary, Lamar Jackson is “now you see me, now you don’t” as a much improved offensive line helps keep Lamar upright all day, gives him ample time in the pocket & on the move, and helps lead the Ravens to a productive day on O. Let’s give LJ 250 yards passing with a pair of TDs (Duv, Isaiah Likely) while Kenyan Drake – not JK Dobbins on a pitch count – leads all backs with 90 all purpose yards.
Let’s throw a curveball here and give a rushing TD to Demarcus Robinson as the Ravens pull away in the third and move to 2-0.
Baltimore 27 Miami 17
Derek Arnold
I see the Ravens establishing the run this week, and it’s as much thanks to having Nick Boyle back as it is Dobbins returning for limited work. That opens up the passing lanes for Lamar and Andrews to go to work. Defensively, Mike Macdonald’s guys will be challenged by the speed of Hill & Waddle, but not fearing Tua’s arm, and with their deep secondary, they can afford to keep everything in front, rally, and tackle. The interior DL continues to eat, and a confused Tua succumbs to several coverage sacks before finally tossing one to the wrong team.
I think the Dolphins are a formidable team that will be in the hunt all season. But this home opener in Baltimore just feels like a Ravens blowout, which I hope to manifest with my predictions here. Think Chargers in Baltimore last year.
• Dobbins has five carries for 22 yards, and Justice Hill ten for 50. Drake leads the way with 17 for 80 and a touchdown.
• Jackson throws for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Andrews hauls in eight passes for 125 and two scores. Likely adds three for 35. Robinson brings in Jackson’s other TD from 52 yards out.
• Travis Jones, Houston, Madubuike, Queen, & Oweh have the Ravens’ five sacks. One of those sacks results in a scoop & score.
• Peters has a pick in his return.
Ravens 38 Dolphins 10
Chris Schisler
The Baltimore Ravens are about to be tested by the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins seem like a step up in competition from the Joe Flacco-led Jets. The Dolphins will do whatever it takes to bottle up the Ravens’ run game. This is the kind of game Lamar Jackson needs to step up in, and I think he is up for the challenge.
One correction I see the Ravens making is going back to the tight ends in the passing game. I predict that Mark Andrews will have a much more prolific day than he did in the season opener. That seems like a safe bet. Here’s a bold prediction for you: I think Isaiah Likely will get his first touchdown against the Jets and get close to 100 receiving yards. The tight ends will help Jackson find his groove. Eventually, the Ravens will loosen up the rushing lanes and use their ground game to put the Dolphins away at the end.
The Ravens’ defense will make Tua Tagovailoa uncomfortable. Justin Madubuike will have another strong performance and Odafe Oweh will walk away with two sacks. The secondary will take full advantage. I expect a second-half mistake from Tagovailoa to sink the Dolphins. Let’s stick with the fashion of bold predictions and give Marcus Williams two games in a row with an interception.
The Dolphins will make this a very competitive game. In the end, Baltimore will get their revenge. The offense will put up enough points to get the job done and the defense will stand strong.
Ravens 24 Dolphins 17
Kevin McNelis
Here’s hoping this meeting with the Dolphins looks NOTHING like the last one.
• The interior D-line looked formidable in the opener, and they FEAST against the inside of Miami’s O-line. Travis Jones makes his Ravens debut and records his first sack as Baltimore racks up five on the day. Pressure in the pocket forces at least one turnover.
• JK Dobbins also makes a triumphant return, notching a touchdown despite a reduced workload.
• The secondary’s various bumps and bruises (along with the loss of Kyle Fuller for the year) force the Ravens to adjust to defensive formations heavy on pass defense. Unfortunately, that means easy pickings on the ground for Chase Edmonds as he eclipses 100 yards rushing.
• It’ll be a give and take against the pressure of those Cover-0 looks that befuddled the Ravens so much in the last outing. The pressure will get home occasionally, but a deep shot to Demarcus Robinson makes Miami pay for selling out on D.
Ravens 24, Dolphins 20
Ben Dackiw
A lot of people believe in Tua. I am not one of those people. He’s fine, not great. Despite the lack of bodies the Ravens now have at corner all of a sudden–this feels familiar–the Ravens should still win this game, and they will do it up front. The D-line will eat like they did against the Jets with the Dolphins missing key pieces on the offensive line, including, possibly, Terron Armstead.
Mark Andrews was the lone bright spot in this matchup last year. He will be once again. The Ravens tight end will find the end zone twice.
Lamar Jackson will get payback after what this defense did to him a year ago. The better weather on Sunday should help with this, particularly with the deep ball.
If JK Dobbins plays, he will find the end zone, but won’t lead the way in carries.
Oweh did not sack Joe Flacco last week, but he will get to Tua this week.
The Ravens will win this one 28-17.
Brennan Stewart
After a dominant performance over the New England Patriots last week, the Miami Dolphins are coming to the Bank. QB Tua Tagovailoa is 1-0 against the Ravens after winning 22-10 last year in Miami, but he’s 0-0 in Baltimore.
A lot of pressure is going to fall on Baltimore’s receiver corps in this matchup. Last week the Dolphins held the Patriots to just 78 rushing yards. J.K. Dobbins is scheduled for his long-anticipated return, but don’t expect to see much on the ground against a talented run defense.
Mark Andrews will be the shining star of the game. After leading the team in receptions (5) last week against the Jets, his volume will likely be the same if not greater. Crossing routes will be the key to success in the pass game, as the Dolphins are known for their heavy man-coverage. Lamar Jackson’s passing yards will easily surpass 300 this week.
Tyreek Hill had only three receptions for 14 yards last season against the Ravens thanks to the talent of Marlon Humphrey. Hill was Tagovailoa’s #1 receiver last week with 12 targets, and that favoritism isn’t going to fade in this matchup. Hill will get two back-to-back touchdowns early, but the Ravens will be able to stop the momentum before the half.
Ravens 27 Dolphins 23
Jared Pinder
This week will be a classic defensive bout that will come down to the wire. The Dolphins have a defense that thrives on causing chaos. They have a great pass rush, a good interior group, and one of the NFL’s premier secondaries. The Ravens will have their hands complete with this defense. The Ravens might be getting some reinforcements for this game, though, as Dobbins might make his season debut this week. This will hopefully add some juice to the run game.
The Ravens receivers will have to do a lot against this Dolphins defense if the run game can’t get going, which may be tricky.
The defense against the Dolphins’ offense shouldn’t have much trouble. The weapons scare me, though; Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the same team with all that speed is special. The issue is that O-Line that is hurting right now. The interior struggled last week against the Patriots, and the Dolphins’ two tackles are hurt right now.
If the pass rush does what it did last week, this game could get ugly because if you put pressure on Tua, he will make mistakes, and the Ravens could be getting Travis Jones back, which is frightening for an O-line that isn’t all that good to begin with.
With the way the offense got off to that slow start last week, I could see the Ravens struggling early and coming back and winning this game. There won’t be a ton of scoring, instead focusing on scoring when necessary, setting up a clutch field goal for Tucker towards the end of the game to send the Ravens to 2-0.
Ravens win 17-14.
