Dolphins Tua Shreds The Ravens

Dolphins 42, Ravens 38

When Brian Billick was the Ravens head coach, he encouraged his players to decompress and collect themselves before speaking to the media following a disappointing loss. The idea being, that in the heat of the moment, avoid saying something that you might later regret. I took that approach yesterday before attempting to write this piece.

To say yesterday’s loss to the Dolphins was disappointing would be a monumental understatement. It was devastating. It was embarrassing. And after two weeks, collectively, we have no idea who the Baltimore Ravens are. And yesterday, I have no idea what I watched. What if I told you that:

• Lamar Jackson would throw for 318 yards, 3 touchdowns, a passer rating of 142.6 and rushed for 119 yards and another score;
• The Ravens would commit just one penalty and they would not turn the ball over;
• Lamar would not be sacked the entire game;
• The game started with a 103-yard kick return for a score by Devin Duvernay;
• The offense produced 473 net yards and 8.8 yards per play including 11.0 yards per pass attempt;
• The Ravens started the fourth quarter with a 21-point lead

You’d swear that the Ravens won, right?

This game was a throwback to the Vinny Testaverde years when the Ravens could look terrific for three quarters only to see the offense stall in the fourth while the defense morphed into melted butter against Tua Tagovailoa’s hot, left-handed knife. Here are a few mind-numbing factoids from yesterday’s debacle at The Bank:

• The Ravens defense allowed a touchdown on four consecutive drives in the 2nd half for the first time in franchise history.

• According to ESPN Stats Info, the Ravens became first NFL team in 12 years to lose a game in which they led by 21 or more points in the 4th quarter. From 2011-22, teams were 711-0 when leading by 21 or more points in the 4th quarter.

• Tagovailoa was 24 of 30 for 319 yards, 4 scores and 0 INT’s IN THE SECOND HALF.

• Miami racked up 266 net yards of offense in the fourth quarter alone.

If there’s a silver lining in this steaming pile of crow dung, it’s that the Ravens lost no ground in the AFC North given losses by the Bengals, Steelers and Browns. The optimist will tell you that this is just one game and that there are 15 more to go and, that the Ravens still control their destiny. But with a defense like that which took the field yesterday, there’s very little that they control. A defense that made Tagovailoa look like Dan Marino.

OFFENSE

Positives

Lamar was outstanding. It appeared that he could do whatever he wanted downfield. And in retrospect, offensive coordinator Greg Roman should have put the game in the fourth quarter and earlier in the game at the goal line, on Lamar’s back and just let him sling it. The O-line was solid in pass pro and the Ravens had answers for the Dolphins blitz packages that presented major problems in 2021.

Patrick Mekari was stout at left tackle. The Ravens may have to find a starting spot for him if Ronnie Stanley ever decides that he’s ready to play again.

The Ravens pass catchers are not a problem. They have plenty of weapons. Bateman is a burgeoning stud and Duvernay is vastly underrated. Of course there’s Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely to add even more punch and provide matchup issues.

Negatives

The running game outside of Lamar, is absolutely pathetic in terms of execution and design. The team’s top 2 RB’s that dressed on Sunday, Mike Davis and Kenyan Drake, combined for 9 yards on 11 carries. Somewhere Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray are chuckling.

[Related Article: Ravens v. Dolphins Report Card]

DEFENSE

Positives

Marcus Williams had two picks and nearly had a third…Justin Houston was the team’s only pass rushing threat…Jalyn Armour-Davis made a couple of nice plays, producing a loss on a bubble screen and he broke up a pass intended for Jaylen Waddle…Damarion “Pepe” Williams had a couple of passes defensed and was generally around the ball, which is more than can be said for some Ravens defenders.

Negatives

TWENTY-EIGHT 4th quarter points allowed is just flat out shameful…First-round picks Patrick Queen, Odafe Oweh and Kyle Hamilton were completely underwhelming. That’s a lot of draft capital invested and the ROI was non-existent. Queen whiffed regularly on tackling attempts; Oweh can’t get off his blocks and shows little in the way of pass rushing moves. That’s unacceptable given his athleticism. Hamilton looked lost and it appeared his inability to provide over-the-top support contributed to two quick scores from Tua to Tyreek Hill.

Despite the investments in the secondary including both salary cap and draft capital, after two weeks the Ravens are dead last in pass defense – the same spot they occupied for the entire 2021 campaign. Without any substantive pass rush coupled with the regular injuries in the secondary, there’s little to no confidence that this sieve of a pass defense will change anytime soon. If Tua can hang 469 passing yards on the Ravens, what will Josh Allen and Joe Burrow do in weeks 4 and 5?

Looks like the Ravens had a two-deep look here, but both Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton start the play near the LOS?

Either that or Pepe Williams should’ve been playing more as a center fielder. pic.twitter.com/cIk3rTtUF6

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) September 18, 2022

SPECIAL TEAMS

Positives

Duvernay’s 103 yard return was executed perfectly. He wasn’t touched until he had his heel clipped inside the 10 on his way to the goal line…Justin Tucker’s 51-yard field goal was a blast.

Negatives

Jordan Stout averaged just 40.5 yards on 2 punts with a net average of 36.5. That’s not why you invest a 4th round pick on a punter. His 36 yard punt in the fourth quarter when they needed a bomb, was unacceptable. Part of the blame goes to Nick Moore who for the second consecutive week had a low snap…Tucker’s kickoff following his field goal to put the Ravens up 38-35 was a mess and allowed the Dolphins to begin their game-winning drive from their 32.

COACHING

Positives

Much of the talk heading into this game focused on the Ravens and their inability to handle the Dolphins blitz packages. They took care of that exceedingly well.

Negatives

The running game was NOT working and Roman kept going to it in key third and fourth down, short yardage situations. The failure to score from first and goal at the 2-yard line on their second possession was indicative of how the Dolphins controlled the line of scrimmage in the running game. Four consecutive run plays produced a net loss of 4 yards.

With a 21-point fourth quarter lead, the Ravens needed to protect against quick scores. They did just the opposite. I don’t know what Mike Macdonald was thinking. This isn’t rocket science. Give up the underneath, chew up game clock and don’t let balls go over your head. Somewhere, Wink Martindale was chuckling.

There was 9:16 left in the game and the Ravens were ahead 35-21. They opted to go for it on 4th down at the Dolphins 40 despite a running game that found it difficult to produce inches, much less yards. But they disregarded the fact that they were beaten at the LOS all afternoon, John Harbaugh got caught up in the machismo of converting on fourth down only to fail, again, in a key moment. The smart move would have been to pin the Dolphins inside the 10. Aren’t those situations why they spent that 4th round pick on Stout?

NEXT UP

The Ravens travel to Foxboro, MA to take on the New England Patriots. Baltimore opens as a 3-point favorite. I have no idea what to expect. This week’s Bold Predictions might be pretty bizarre.

Enjoy your week everyone!