Ravens Seek to Defeat Dolphins Again in Miami

This is the second time the Ravens & Dolphins have clashed in the playoffs.

The Ravens captured a 20-3 decision in a Wild Card game on January 13, 2002, a contest which represent the Dolphins' most recent in the playoffs.

This game is also a rematch of a regular season game between these teams this year, when Baltimoreregistered a 27-13 win on October 19 at Dolphin Stadium.

Each team believes the result propelled them to the playoffs and where they are today.

The Baltimore Ravens had lost three in a row, including a 31-3 pasting by Indianapolis the week before, for a 2-3 record. Then the Ravens Willis McGahee rushed for 105 yards, LB Terrell Suggs scored on a 44-yard interception return, and Baltimore heavily blitzed to negate Miami's "Wildcat" offense, which produced only four yards in five plays.

Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Miami Dolphins (11-5) - Sunday, CBS (1:00 PM ET)

The win would be the first of four in a row for Baltimore and also the first of nine victories in their final 11 games. "That game was a turning point," says Ravens T Willie Anderson. "The world was saying we were done."

And for the Miami Dolphins, they would win their next four for nine in their final 10 as both teams ended 11-5.

"We had no identity then," says Miami CB Andre' Goodman. "We didn't know who we were, but now we have a pretty good idea."

It will be a "chess-move" matchup.

The Miami Dolphins finished the season with the second fewest interceptions in the league (7 to Washington's 6). Baltimore had the most pickoffs with 26. This all leads to one of the most interesting matchups of the day: Miami QB Chad Pennington, the NFL's all-time leader in completion percentage (66.0), against Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed, the league-leader this year in interceptions (9), including four in the last two games.

Quite the Turnaround for the Dolphins

Since dropping a 27-13 decision to the visiting Ravens this season, the Dolphins have been one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning 9 of 10, including 5 in a row on the road. In their must-win contest at the Jets last Sunday, Miami intercepted Brett Favre 3 times on its way to a 24-17 victory.

The Dolphins, who completed one of the best turnarounds in NFL history (2007: 1-15 to 2008: 11-5) won their 1st AFC East title since 2000. The dramatic change for the Dolphins started with the hiring of Bill Parcells as executive VP-football operations. Parcells, who had been the Cowboys' head coach from 2003-06, turned to Dallas for key hires. Jeff Ireland, who had recently been the Cowboys' VP of college and pro scouting, joined Parcells as the Dolphins' GM. Tony Sparano, who was Dallas' assistant head coach/offensive line in 2007, was named the head coach.

Of course, a key acquisition was the signing of QB Chad Pennington, a 9-year veteran released by the Jets in July after they signed Favre. Among the impressive victories this season for the Dolphins were a 38-13 smashing of the Patriots, a key win over the Chargers (17-10), a sweep of Buffalo (25-16 and 16-3) and a 26-17 triumph at Denver. The Miami offense features RBs Ronnie Brown (916 yards) and Ricky Williams (659 yards) and a pair of 50-plus-catch WRs: Ted Ginn (56) and rookie Davone Bess (54). LT Jake Long, the 1st pick in the 2008 draft, anchors an offensive line that allowed Pennington to throw 19 TDs with just 7 picks. On defense Joey Porter has terrorized QBs this season, producing an AFC-high 17.5 sacks, including 2 against the Ravens. Joining Porter is outstanding ILB Channing Crowder and a 2 veteran D-linemen, Vonnie Holliday and Jason Ferguson. Starting CBs Andre Goodman and Will Allen have played well and have 5 and 3 INTs, respectively.

For the Dolphins, the victory over the Jets was, in essence, a microcosm of the Dolphins 2008 campaign.

Despite being down in the third quarter at 17-14, the Dolphins did not let that deficit increase, giving them a chance for a comeback. After taking a 21-17 lead in the third period, the Dolphins then put the game away in the fourth quarter by posting the game's only three points over the final 15 minutes of play. A blocked punt and an interception also were key components of this fourth quarter success.

The Dolphins will need to do the same this week against a Ravens team that earned a Wild Card berth as a result of their 27-7 victory last Sunday over Jacksonville. They are led by a rookie head coach in John Harbaugh as well as a rookie quarterback in Joe Flacco. The running attack compiled more 2,376, led by LeRon McClain, while Derrick Mason surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau.

Baltimore has boasted one of the NFL's top defensive units for much of the decade, and 2008 has been no exception, as they finished the season ranked as the No. 2 overall unit in the NFL. Safety Ed Reed led the NFL in 2008 with nine interceptions while linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs make this one of the most feared units in football.

The Ravens earned the 2nd Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs with an 11-5 record, which included a 9-2 mark after starting the season 2-3. Baltimore set an NFL record for most wins by a team with both a rookie head coach (John Harbaugh) and rookie QB (Joe Flacco) -- tied with Atlanta's Mike Smith and Matt Ryan.

Baltimore finished 1 game behind Pittsburgh (12-4) in the AFC North. Impressive victories came at Miami (27-13), at Houston (41-13), over the Eagles (36-7) and at Dallas (33-24) in the last game played at Texas Stadium. Most difficult of the losses were 2 memorable battles with the Steelers (23-20 in OT at Pit. and 13-9) and a home loss to Tennessee (13-10).

"To me the Baltimore Ravens are one of the most frightening teams in the NFL right now. With the way they can play defense and now Joe Flacco getting hot, watch out, we may have another team coming off the bottom of the seedings and winning a Super Bowl."
NBC's Chris Collinsworth on the Ravens

The Ravens defense turned in another dominant season.

Ranked 2nd in the NFL, the defense set 3 team records: opponent QB rating (60.6), rushing TDs allowed (4) and rushing 1st downs allowed (58). Baltimore led the NFL with 26 INTs, including 9 by S Ed Reed, which was also an NFL high. The Ravens finished the regular season ranked as the NFL's No. 2 defense (261.1 ypg). Baltimore's rush defense (81.4) ranked 3rd, while the pass defense (179.7) finished 2nd.. The Ravens also were tops in the NFL producing "3-and-outs" (60). They did not allow a 100-yard rusher for the 2nd straight season (current string is 35 games, dating back to 2006).

This season, the Ravens 34 takeaways ranked No. 1 in the NFL. The Ravens also produced the NFL's 3rd-best turnover ratio of +13.

Ravens offense solid

Rookie QB Joe Flacco (18th selection in 1st round) started every game. In Flacco's 1st 5 games, when the Ravens went 2-3, Joe threw 1 TD and 7 INTs for a QB rating of 60.6. Over the last 11 games of the regular season (9-2), Flacco threw 13 TDs with 5 INTs and produced a 90.2 rating.

"Here's the guy that is the most unlikely quarterback personality that I've ever met in my life. You know in high school and college he never owned a car. He never owned a car and he still doesn't. When he finally got to Baltimore, someone gave him a car. He's just a gym rat, and this is the first time that I remember a Baltimore Ravens defense ever liking their quarterback."
NBC Analyst, John Madden

The Ravens were the only team in the NFL to have RBs gain over 900 (Le'Ron McClain), 650 (Willis McGahee) and 450 (Ray Rice) rushing yards. Baltimore led the NFL in time of possession (33:10). WR Derrick Mason produced 80 catches for 1,037 yards.

Series: Dolphins 5-2 Edge

The Dolphins lead the regular season series, 5-2, but the Ravens have 2 of the past 3. The Dolphins hold a 4-1 lead over the Ravens in games decided in South Florida.

The Ravens lone regular season win in South Florida occurred in the most recent matchup (10/19/2008), a 27-13 decision on October 19, 2008 at Dolphin Stadium. In that game, Terrell Suggs broke a 3-3 tie when he returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown, 6:16 into the second quarter. After a Dan Carpenter 26-yard field goal four minutes later closed the gap to four points, the Ravens reeled off each of the game's next 10 points and 17 of the final 24. Baltimore Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco passed for 232 yards & 1 TD for a 120.2 passer rating.

The Baltimore Ravens won the lone postseason matchup, a 20-3 decision in a First-Round game on January 13, 2002 in Miami. Baltimore's offense rushed for 226 yards, including 109 yards by RB Terry Allen. The Ravens defense limited Miami to 151 total net yards.

NFL 2008 Regular Season Common Opponents

In addition to this season head-to-head matchup, the Ravens and Dolphins share the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans as common opponents. The Ravens defeated both Oakland (29-10 Home 10/26/2008) and Houston (41-13 @Houston 11/9/2008). Meanwhile, the Dolphins defeated the Raiders (17-15 Home 11/16/2008) and lost to the Texans (29-28 @Houston 10/12/2008).

Ravens & Dolphins 2008 Comparison

 

NFL 2008 Week 17: Baltimore Ravens 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 7

With a convincing 27-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, the Ravens (11-5) clinched the sixth and final AFC playoff spot.

Jacksonville held a brief 7-3 lead in the first quarter, but it was all Ravens from then on out, as Baltimore scored 24 unanswered points with three long scoring drives in the second half. Joe Flacco was 17-of-23 for a career-high 297 yards and a 115.8 passer rating.

NFL 2008 Week 17: Miami Dolphins 24, New York Jets 17

The Dolphins clinched the 13th AFC East title in team history and their first since 2000 as a result of their 24-17 victory over the Jets last Sunday at the Meadowlands

The first points of the game were not produced until there was 6:47 remaining in the second quarter when Brett Favre found Laveranues Coles for a 13-yard TD pass, eight plays after Bryan Thomas stripped the ball from Chad Pennington on a sack and Jason Trusnik recovered at the Jets' 49. Five plays prior to the score Favre connected with Jerricho Cotchery for a 26-yard completion on third-and-13, putting the Jets at the Dolphins' 28. The snap on the PAT was mishandled.

The Dolphins took a one-point lead with 2:18 to play in the opening half on a 27-yard TD pass from Pennington to Ted Ginn, capping a six-play, 60-yard drive. Three plays prior to the score, Pennington connected with Anthony Fasano for an 8-yard completion on third-and-5 from the Dolphins' 45.

On the next play from scrimmage, Phillip Merling plucked a Favre pass out of the air and raced 25 yards for a touchdown.

The Jets got the ball back and marched 67 yards in 10 plays ending with a 28-yard field goal by Jay Feely as time expired in the first half. The Jets started the drive at the Dolphins' 28 after an errant snap on a punt.

The Jets regained the lead on a 10-yard TD run by Leon Washington, 4:27 into the second half, five plays after the Jets commenced their scoring drive at the Dolphins' 28 following an errant snap on a punt.

Favre connected with Cotchery on the two-point conversion attempt. The Dolphins responded with a six-play, 80-yard drive that ended with 20-yard TD pass from Pennington to Fasano. Pennington completed all five of his pass attempts, totaling 79 yards, en route to the score. The Dolphins opened a seven-point advantage 5:40 into the fourth quarter on a 48-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter, six plays after Charlie Anderson blocked a Reggie Hodges punt, giving the Dolphins field position at the Jets' 49.

André Goodman came up with his second interception of the game, when he snared a Favre pass and returned it three yards to the Dolphins' 28 with 4:53 to play in the game. The Dolphins then were able to run out all but the final 17 seconds of the contest, with the key play being a 2-yard run by Pennington on fourth-and-1 from the Jets' 40.

Baltimore Ravens (11-5)

• - The Ravens make their 1st playoff appearance since 2006 as they won 9 of their past 11 games
• - Ravens are 2-1 (.667) record in Wild Card games & aims for 2nd consecutive win against Dolphins in postseason
• - Ravens have 3-1 (.750) road record in postseason
• - In past 11, rookie QB JOE FLACCO (1st round, No. 18) has completed 167 of 284 passes (58.8 pct.) for 2,127 yards with 13 TDs vs. 5 INTs & 90.2 passer rating. In last meeting against Miami, Flacco completed 17 of 23 passes (73.9 pct.) for 232 yards with 1 TD vs. 0 INTs & 120.2 passer rating
• - In past 11, Ravens are averaging 155.5 rush yards per game (1,710 total rush yards)
• - Miami native RB WILLIS MC GAHEE averages 93.5 rush yards per game against Dolphins & aims for 3rd consecutive game with 100 or more rush yards (104, 105) vs. Miami. McGahee will make 1st career playoff appearance
• - FB LE' RON MC CLAIN led team with 11 TDs (10 rush, 1 receiving) in 2008. McClain was selected to 1st career Pro Bowl
• - WR DERRICK MASON (1,037) reached 1,000 receiving yards for 7th season in career. Mason aims for 3rd consecutive game with TD reception against Miami. WR MARK CLAYTON averaged career-high 17.0 yards per catch in 2008 (41 rec., 695 yards)
• - In 2 career Wild Card games, TE TODD HEAP has 7 rec. for 91 yards (13.0 avg.) with 1 TD
• - Ravens led NFL with 26 INTs (2nd most in Ravens history)
• - Club aims for 9th consecutive game with INT in playoffs
• - In 2 career postseason games, S ED REED has 3 INTs & aims for 3rd consecutive playoff game with INT. Reed tied career-high with 9 INTs in 2008 & has 4 in past 2 games
• - Ravens have not allowed RB to gain 100+ rush yards in 35 regular-season games (longest current streak in NFL) & have not allowed RB to rush for 100+ yards in past 8 postseason games (tied for 4th longest active streak)
• - LB RAY LEWIS registered team-high 160 tackles in 2008
• - Club had 5 players selected to Pro Bowl (Lewis, McClain, Reed, special teamer BRENDON AYANBADEJO & DE TERRELL SUGGS).

Miami Dolphins (11-5)

• - The Dolphins won their 13th AFC East title & 1st since 2000
• - Miami has 15-6 (.714) postseason record at home
• - With 11-5 record in 2008, Dolphins won 10 more games than last year & tied 1999 Colts (3-13; 13-13) for largest 1-season win improvement
• - Team has won 5 consecutive games & 9 of past 10
• - Rookie head coach TONY SPARANO guided team to playoffs in 1st year at helm
• - Club registered 13 turnovers & tied 2008 Giants for fewest turnovers in NFL history
• - In 5 career postseason games, QB CHAD PENNINGTON has completed 107 of 178 passes (60.1 pct.) for 1,166 yards with 7 TDs vs. 4 INTs & 83.2 passer rating. Pennington will make 2nd career postseason start at home (w/Jets on 1/4/03). In 2008, Pennington posted career-high 3,653 passing yards & set Dolphins season record with 67.4 completion percentage (min. 75 completions). In 1 career start against Ravens (10/19/08), Pennington completed 24 of 35 passes (68.6 pct.) for 295 yards with 1 TD vs. 1 INT & 92.0 passer rating
• - RB RONNIE BROWN posted career-high 10 rush TDs in 2008 & was selected to 1st Pro Bowl. Brown will make 1st postseason appearance. In 3 career games against Ravens, RB RICKY WILLIAMS averages 74.3 rush yards per game & has 2 games with 100+ rush yards (102, 105). Williams will make 1st postseason appearance with Dolphins
• - WR TED GINN JR. totaled career-high 56 receptions for 790 yards (14.1 avg.) with 2 TDs in 2008. Rookie WR DAVONE BESS (54 receptions) ranks 3rd in franchise history for most receptions in season by rookie (TERRY KIRBY, 75 in '93; JACK CLANCY, 67 in '67). Bess posted 1st career TD reception against Ravens
• - TE ANTHONY FASANO (7 TDs) tied franchise record for most TD receptions among TEs in single-season (KEITH JACKSON in '94)
• - Incl. postseason, LB JOEY PORTER has 8 career sacks against Ravens. Porter led AFC with 17.5 sacks in 2008
• - Rookie K DAN CARPENTER (21 FGs) tied UWE VON SCHAMANN for 2nd-most FGs by Dolphins rookie & his 103 points rank 2nd among Miami rookie kickers (FUAD REVEIZ, 116 in '85).

PREDICTION: Baltimore Ravens 24, Miami Dolphins 17

The Ravens dominant defense is now coupled with an able offense led by Flacco and a running attack led by Le'Ron McClain (232 att, 902 yds, 10 TDs), Willis McGahee (170 att, 671 yds, 7 TDs) and rookie Ray Rice (107 att, 454 yds, 4.2 avg.). Wide Receiver Derrick Mason is a real threat.

Anticipate the Ravens defense to put their offense in strong field position throughout the game, while the Ravens offense continues their solid ball control and dominate on time of possession.

The Ravens time of possession will eventually wear down the Dolphins defense and expect Raven's safety Ed Reed to contribute a few game changing plays.

For the Dolphins to win, Joey Porter's teammates on defense will need to elevate their play and give Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington opportunities to pick away at the Ravens defense with a short passing game spreading the wealth amongst his receivers and running backs.

Related

NFL 2008 PLAYOFFS RANKINGS

Once teams are ranked for the playoffs, positions do not change:

American Football Conference

1. Tennessee Titans (AFC South Division champion)

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North Division champion)

3. Miami Dolphins (AFC East Division champion)

4. San Diego Chargers (AFC West Division champion)

5. Indianapolis Colts

6. Baltimore Ravens

National Football Conference

1. New York Giants (NFC East Division champion)

2. Carolina Panthers (NFC South Division champion)

3. Minnesota Vikings (NFC North Division champion)

4. Arizona Cardinals (NFC West Division champion)

5. Atlanta Falcons

6. Philadelphia Eagles

NFL 2008 PLAYOFFS WILD CARD WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Saturday, January 3

NFC: Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals, 4:30 PM ET (NBC)

AFC: Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers, 8:00 PM ET (NBC)

Sunday, January 4

AFC: Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins, 1:00 PM ET (CBS)

NFC: Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 PM ET (FOX)

 

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Ravens Seek to Defeat Dolphins Again in Miami - NFL 2008 Playoffs