The Miami Dolphins surprisingly beat the Baltimore Ravens at the start of week 10 in the NFL 22:10 thanks to an outstanding defensive performance. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa convinced as a substitute and helped the offense to get going in the second half.
The Dolphins were uncomfortable on defense from the start and held the Ravens just days after their exhausting overtime win over Minnesota in their first series of attacks with a 46-yard field goal by Justin Tucker. The second drive ended with a miss by Tucker after 14 successful field goal attempts in a row. He forgave from 48 yards.
Offensively, the Dolphins, in which Jacoby Brissett started again as quarterback – Tua Tagovailoa acted as backup – only gradually got going after three punts and reached the red zone for the first time. A holding penalty ended at the 12-yard line, so kicker Jason Sanders equalized from 31 yards.
Seconds before the break, the home side then put down their best drive of the game and marched a total of 84 yards to the 4, but where they ran out of time. Sanders finally ensured Miami’s 6-3 break lead from 22 yards.
After the break, Brissett injured his right knee with a sack and was replaced by Tagovailoa in Miami’s second attack series in the second half. Notably, Brissett was apparently ready to return, but head coach Brian Flores made the decision to send Tua onto the field. After initial problems, the offense gradually got going. Tagovailoa (8/13, 158 YDS) led his team at the end of the third quarter to the 1-yard line after a pass interference in the end zone by Marlon Humphrey, but in the end it was again only a field goal from Sanders on the 9: 3 Beginning of the final quarter.
Dolphins: Defense decides the game against Ravens
What the Dolphins offense didn’t succeed in was caught up by its own defense a little later – a touchdown! Jackson found Sammy Watkins under constant intense pressure, who then lost a fumble immediately after the catch after cornerback Xavien Howard tackled him. Howard himself grabbed the ball and carried it over 49 yards into the end zone. The following two-point conversion failed, so that eleven minutes before the end it was 15: 3 for Miami.
The Ravens were then stopped once more and quickly gave the ball back to the Dolphins, who reached the opposing half, but then punted on 4th and Short. This rather suboptimal decision was at least mitigated by the fact that the punt went to the 1-yard line. Returning the ball would ultimately be punished. Benefiting from two roughing-the-passer penalties – one entitled – Baltimore marched unstoppably over 99 yards to the touchdown this time – in the end Jackson found an open tight end Mark Andrews on a drag route over 5 yards. 3:10 to play with just over 4 minutes.
After that, the home side wasted little time and marched straight back into the red zone – Tagovailoa found a completely open Albert Wilson after a jet motion on a go route and this then ran to the 9-yard line. After penalties on both sides, it was Tagovailoa himself who QB sneaked the ball into the end zone 2:19 minutes before the end. 10:10 p.m. Miami after Baltimore used up all of its timeouts. Dolphins cornerback Justin Coleman ended with an interception in the end zone.
Miami Dolphins (3-7) – Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
Result: 22:10 (0: 3, 6: 0, 0: 0, 16: 7) BOXSCORE
Dolphins vs. Ravens – the most important statistics
- The Dolphins have now won their last 21 home games in a row since 2015, in which they were ahead at halftime. They are the only undefeated team in this scenario during this period.
- This game is the first of this season with more punts (14) than points (9) after three quarters.
- Lamar Jackson was flashed by the Dolphins in 51.1 percent of his dropbacks. The home side thus produced a total of 13 pressures and 4 sacks.
- The offensive style of the Dolphins changed significantly when moving from Brissett to Tagovailoa. While Brissett still had mostly “normal” dropbacks (28 percent play action), 50 percent of Tua was put on play action, which made for some explosive plays.
The star of the game: Jevon Holland (Safety, Dolphins)
The Dolphins’ defense excelled in this game and one of the main reasons for this was rookie safety Jevon Holland, who triumphed in all respects. He was one of the most effective speed cameras (4 pressures), broke two passes in Pass Coverage and also managed a sack. He also helped out well against the run. An outstanding performance by the youngster.
Flop of the Game: Lamar Jackson (Quarterback, Ravens)
Jackson (26/43, 238 YDS, TD, INT) was under constant fire and had no answers to the numerous speed cameras. He constantly had to throw earlier than desired and was accordingly imprecise. In addition, this time he barely managed to get the correct zone reads in the run game, which is usually one of his strengths. His deep balls were just as imprecise and his few runs rarely exploded. In addition, his receivers dropped some passports without any problems. It must also be mentioned that the entire offense never managed to hit the violent lightning bolt over the middle.
Analysis: Dolphins vs. Ravens – the Tactical Table
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The Dolphins consistently played man coverage and regularly sent extra pass rushers, especially on 3rd Down. Flores even bet on cover 0 very often so as not to give Jackson time to pass. And that hit the Ravens and Jackson noticeably. In addition, the Dolphins were very committed and attentive in defending the Ravens’ numerous screens.
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It was remarkable that, contrary to their usual tendencies, the Ravens hardly bet on their crossing routes and tried a lot “outside the numbers” in the passing game. As usual, on the ground there were RPOs and read options, but these were also mostly read correctly by the front of the Dolphins.
- The area in the middle of the field would even have been open, as the Dolphins mostly – if at all – acted with single high-safety looks – Jevon Holland, on the other hand, often stayed in the pits and often indicated lightning, and also helped with Run game. After the break we saw more crossers, slants and dig routes for Baltimore. A change that came too late.
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