The 2-6 Miami Dolphins took on the 2-5 Baltimore Ravens in Week 9, with both teams desperate to turn their season around.
Many around the league have suggested that the Dolphins should “blow it up” this season, but recent reports suggest the team is still clinging onto a semblance of hope, however slim. Meanwhile, the Ravens have had a terrible start to the season, but this week sees the return of All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, it was the Ravens who seized the opportunity to turn their season around. Miami didn’t come to play, and made key mistakes in big spots. The Ravens raced out to an early lead, and never looked back.
Final Score
Dolphins 6-28 Ravens.
Game Recap and Reactions
First Quarter
DOLPHINS: The Dolphins won the toss and elected to receive the ball. A nice return from Dee Eskridge set up the offense with 1st-and-10 at their own 43-yard-line. On Miami’s very first play from scrimmage, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found Jaylen Waddle on a 20-yard post route, setting the Dolphins up on the Ravens’ 37-yard-line. But a few underwhelming plays later, the Dolphins failed to convert on 3rd down. On came Miami’s field goal unit, and a 49-yard attempt from Riley Patterson saw the Dolphins take a 3-0 lead.
SCORE ALERT: Dolphins 3-0 Ravens.
RAVENS: On Baltimore’s first drive, they went three-and-out and elected to punt the ball facing 4th-and-3 from their own 40-yard-line. An exceptional punt from punter Jordan Stout saw the Ravens down the ball on Miami’s own 3-yard-line.
DOLPHINS: Backed up in their own territory, the Dolphins managed to draw up a great pass play to sophomore wideout Tahj Washington, who made his first career NFL catch, but unfortunately fumbled and gave the ball straight back to the Ravens.
RAVENS: In great field position, the Ravens still needed all four downs to score, but eventually got the job done. A 2-yard pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson to tight end Mark Andrews in the back of the end zone led to the game’s first touchdown.
SCORE ALERT: Dolphins 3-7 Ravens.
DOLPHINS: Starting on their own 26-yard-line, multiple chunk plays to De’Von Achane quickly saw the Dolphins move all the way to the Ravens’ 21-yard-line. Facing 3rd-and-4, a quick pass to Waddle left the Dolphins one yard short of a first down. Initially electing to go for it, a false start by right tackle Larry Borom instead saw the Dolphins bring on their field goal unit. Unfortunately, Patterson missed his field goal wide-right, and an impressive Dolphins drive ended in zero points.
RAVENS: Following the missed field goal, Ravens took over on offense at their own 25-yard-line. A 1o-yard pass to wide receiver Zay Flowers and a 35-yard pass to tight end Isiah Likely had the Ravens firmly in Dolphins’ territory, with the latter bringing about the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
RAVENS: To open the second quarter, it took the Ravens just two plays to score. Jackson found tight end Mark Andrews wide open on a crossing route across the middle of the field, and he walked in for a score, untouched. Miami’s defense has played well so far, but hasn’t been able to stop Baltimore’s tight ends.
SCORE ALERT: Dolphins 3-14 Ravens.
DOLPHINS: Down two scores, the Dolphins offense came out humming in response. On the following drive, Malik Washington turned what looked to be a negative play into seven yards, and tight end Greg Dulcich made his second catch of the game to move the Dolphins into Ravens territory. However, a terrible call by the officials negated a 36-yard bomb to Waddle, and the Dolphins were suddenly facing 3rd-and-16. They elected to punt, and the Ravens took over.
RAVENS: With 10:37 left in the second quarter, the Ravens opened their next drive on their own 23-yard-line with a sack, as linebacker Bradley Chubb and defensive tackle Benito Jones managed to bring down Jackson for 10-yard loss. This put the Ravens on their own 13-yard-line. An overthrow from Jackson on third down led to 4th-and-6, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Rashod Bateman of the Ravens moved them even further back to 4th-and-19. The Ravens elected to punt.
DOLPHINS: Malik Washington took the punt and returned it 36 yards to the Ravens’ 39-yard-line. A holding call on the Ravens was tacked on after the punt, and the ball was moved up to the 29-yard-line. But, Miami was unable to move the sticks, and had to settle for a field goal on 4th down. Patterson managed to convert his 43-yard attempt, reducing the deficit to eight points.
SCORE ALERT: Dolphins 6-14 Ravens.
RAVENS: With about seven minutes left in the second quarter, the Ravens took over on offense, but once again failed to move the chains after three plays. The elected to punt, facing 4th-and-1 on their own 37-yard-line. The punt bounced into the end zone for a touchback.
DOLPHINS: With 5:37 left in the first half, Miami’s offense showed life with back-to-back completions from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle for 38 yards. An ankle injury to Ollie Gordon III briefly halted play, but the Dolphins kept attacking on the ground, as De’Von Achane’s 15-yard run moved them to the Baltimore 21 at the two-minute warning. Facing 4th-and-2 from the 12, Tagovailoa and Achane misfired on a fade route, resulting in another turnover on downs.
RAVENS: The Ravens took over with 1:04 left in the first half, but decided against kneeling the ball. This did not pay off for them, as they were forced to punt a few plays later, with 0:41 left on the clock.
DOLPHINS: The Dolphins took over, and somehow managed to quickly move the ball on offense to the 50-yard-line. But, a failed Hail Mary attempt with 0:01 left saw Tua take a sack, and that was the end of the first half.
Halftime Reactions
Injuries:
- Chop Robinson is out for the rest of the game with a concussion.
- Ollie Gordon III entered the locker room in the second quarter, and reportedly underwent further examination for his ankle injury. He is not expected to return.
1st-Half Numbers |
Dolphins |
Ravens |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 225 | 109 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| First Downs | 10 | 4 |
| Time-Of-Possession | 18:59 | 11:01 |
| Red-Zone | 0/2 | 1/1 |
Even though the score doesn’t show it, the Dolphins have actually played surprisingly well. They’re moving the ball on offense, and have managed to get Lamar Jackson off the field multiple times on defense. But, mistakes in key moments have cost them so far. They’ve gone past the Ravens’ 35-yard-line on four separate occasions, but have zero touchdowns.
It’s the same old story. Stop making mistakes, and the Dolphins should be back in this game.
Third Quarter
RAVENS: The Ravens received the ball to start the second half and put together a nice drive, starting on their own 32-yard-line. A 13-yard run from Jackson moved the chains on a key third down, and the Ravens used that momentum to suddenly find themselves on the 10-yard-line, knocking on the door of another touchdown. A quarterback sneak saw them get fresh set of downs on third down. Then, on 1st-and-goal from Miami’s three-yard-line, the Ravens scored again. This time, it came courtesy of tight end Charlie Kolar. That’s three pass touchdowns for Jackson tonight.
SCORE ALERT: Dolphins 6-21 Ravens.
The Dolphins defense is consistently blowing coverages. That’s three touchdowns tonight where a tight end has been wide open in the end zone. The boos are ringing loud across Hard Rock Stadium tonight. Fans are unhappy, and rightly so.
RAVENS: The Dolphins went three-and-out on their next possession, so the Ravens took over with 5:45 left in the third. Derrick Henry got things going with a tough 9-yard run up the middle to move the chains. A few plays later, Jackson connected deep down the right sideline with Zay Flowers for a 39-yard strike, putting the Ravens at the Miami 9-yard line. Two plays later, Jackson found Rashod Bateman over the middle for a 9-yard touchdown, capping off an impressive drive.
SCORE ALERT: Dolphins 6-28 Ravens.
DOLPHINS: Miami looked to answer Baltimore’s touchdown with a drive of its own. Tua found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine over the middle for 17 yards to move the Dolphins near midfield, but the momentum quickly stalled. De’Von Achane was bottled up for a 1-yard gain on the next play, and consecutive incompletions—one intended for Achane and another for Westbrook-Ikhine—left Miami facing fourth down. Forced to punt, Jake Bailey sent a 37-yarder out of bounds at the Baltimore 15-yard line with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter.
RAVENS: Baltimore’s drive started with a burst, as Derrick Henry broke free for a 35-yard run into Miami territory, but the momentum didn’t last. Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill were each held to minimal gains before Lamar Jackson’s deep shot to DeAndre Hopkins fell incomplete on third down. The Ravens were forced to punt, and Jordan Stout’s 39-yarder was fair caught by Miami’s Malik Washington at the 8-yard line with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.
DOLPHINS: Malik Washington took a short pass on first down and raced away for 28 yards, bringing the third quarter to a close.
Fourth Quarter
DOLPHINS: Miami’s offense opened the fourth quarter with a promising drive that quickly unraveled. After several short completions and an 11-yard defensive penalty helped move the chains, Tua hit Waddle for 13 yards to push into Baltimore territory. But miscues followed, including an intentional grounding call and a reversed deep completion to De’Von Achane. The Dolphins’ hopes ended when Malik Washington fumbled at the Ravens’ 11-yard line, with Marlon Humphrey recovering to stall Miami’s 81-yard drive.
That is FIVE TIMES now that the Dolphins have been down deep in the Ravens’ territory, and haven’t come away with a touchdown. This team is incredibly frustrating.
RAVENS: Luckily for the Dolphins, Baltimore didn’t do much off the turnover. After a 19-yard run by Henry, the drive stalled. Phillips brought down Jackson for a six-yard sack on third down, and the Ravens were forced to punt.
DOLPHINS: Miami’s next series started with promise as Tua Tagovailoa connected with Malik Washington for 12 yards and found De’Von Achane for a short gain. But after an incompletion on second down, Tagovailoa threw a bad ball deep over the middle of the field that was intercepted by Ravens safety Malaki Starks at the Baltimore 17-yard-line. Here’s the ball back, Baltimore.
RAVENS: Baltimore sealed the win with a clock-draining drive to end the game. Henry ripped off gains of 13 and 7 yards to push the Ravens deep into Miami territory, and Jackson found Charlie Kolar for a 20-yard completion to keep the chains moving. With the Dolphins out of timeouts, Baltimore milked the clock behind a series of short runs before Jackson took a knee to close out the victory.
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