Ravens Team Grades: Baltimore Dominates Dolphins In Best Performance Of Season
By Daniel Benjamin
The Baltimore Ravens knew they needed to play some really good football coming into Week 13, and they did just that, plus some. The Ravens turned in their best overall performance, defeating the Miami Dolphins 38-6 at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens (7-5) maintained their edge in the AFC North over the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) with the win. The victory, coinciding with the Houston Texans' loss, also allowed the Ravens to move up to third in the AFC. Baltimore is now 7-2 against conference foes.
Offense: A
The Ravens surpassed the 30-point mark for the first time this season, and the 38 points are 11 more than their previous high that was set against Oakland in Week 4. The Ravens' five offensive touchdowns today were nearly a third of their season total entering the game (17). They also produced a season-high 496 total yards of offense, and tallied a touchdown in each of their five trips in the red zone.
Baltimore scored on four of their first five possessions as Joe Flacco completed 27 of his first 34 throws for 258 yards. Flacco finished by completing a season-high 76.6 percent of his passes for a season-best 381 yards and four touchdowns. He also finished with a franchise-record 36 completions.
Ten different receivers caught a pass with tight end Dennis Pitta leading the way with nine receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns. It marked the first time that he has reached the end zone since 2013. Mike Wallace and Steve Smith Sr. had six catches apiece.
Rookie running back Kenneth Dixon and veteran back Terrence West combined for 106 yards on 16 carries. Dixon set a season-high with 56 yards on six carries.
The Ravens did turn the ball over twice, with Flacco throwing his 11th interception of the season, and Pitta losing a fumble.
The offensive line did a great job keeping Flacco clean—the QB was not sacked at all and was hit just twice.
Defense: A+
The six points the Ravens' defense gave up are a season-low. Baltimore allowed only 215 yards of total offense with 115 coming in the first half. The defense picked off Ryan Tannehill three times, recorded two sacks, six tackles for losses and seven quarterback hits. Inside linebacker Zach Orr led the way with 13 tackles, with 10 being of the solo variety. Orr leads the team with 99 stops.
While the defense controlled much of the game, the Ravens made three game-changing plays on the first three Dolphins' possessions. On the Dolphins' opening offensive possession, cornerback Tavon Young forced an incomplete pass to Jarvis Landry on a third-and-two play from the 28-yard line. The Dolphins missed a 46-yard field goal attempt on the next play.
On the Dolphins' second possession, Lardarius Webb intercepted a long pass by Tannehill in the end zone on third-and-five from the 28. Then on the very next play, Flacco's long pass was picked off at the Miami 38. Baltimore forced the Dolphins to punt following a three and out, and the Ravens scored their third touchdown to go up 21-0.
Special Teams: B+
Kicker Justin Tucker finished with eight points, which included a 55-yard field goal at the end of the first half. Punter Sam Koch didn't have his best game yardage wise, recording 31.0 yards per punt, though he did place two punts inside the 20. Return specialist Devin Hester managed a total of 20 yards on four kick returns, three punts and one kickoff.
Coaching: A+
Even though the Dolphins came into the game as one of the league's worst defenses against the run, the Ravens decided to disregard the run and go with short passes, which worked to perfection. Coach John Harbaugh made the call of the game, going for it on a fourth-and-one from the Ravens' 46-yard line. Dixon got 10 yards on the carry and the Ravens ended up scoring a touchdown on the drive to go up 14-0.
Up Next
Baltimore heads north next week to tangle with the New England Patriots. The Patriots improved to 10-2 on the season with a 26-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.