Week 10 came early for the Ravens as they faced off against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. However, the game proved to be a major setback for Baltimore’s offense, as they couldn’t get anything going until late in the fourth quarter. This loss puts them at 6-3, still in first place, with the Steelers close behind at 5-3. They are followed by the Browns and Bengals, both at 5-4. All three teams still play on Sunday except the Bengals who are on their bye week.
The loss came as a surprise as the Ravens looked to be the better team on paper against an opponent who has proven to be subpar all season long. What wasn’t a surprise, though, was that on the opening drive of the game, the Ravens managed to get into field goal range and kick a 46-yard field goal. The defense held the Dolphins to a punt and they got the ball back.
This time moving up the field to kick a 48-yard field goal, Justin Tucker missed wide right. That may have been a bad omen for the Ravens, as Miami easily made their way downfield and kicked a chip shot from 31 yards to even the score.
The game was a gritty battle between the two defenses, as neither team could find the end zone or get into field goal range until right before the half. The Dolphins quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, found Isaiah Ford for a 50+ yard catch to put them in the red zone with 24 seconds left. This late quarter drive set the Dolphins up for an easy field goal from 22 yards to take the lead in this low scoring affair.
Again, after halftime, both teams had trouble making it to the red zone until Brissett hurt his knee and the Dolphins elected to put in their first-round draft pick, Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa proved to be more mobile than Brissett but didn’t show his accuracy until early in the fourth quarter. Here, he put together a drive that would lead to a 29-yard field goal.
Only trailing by six, the Ravens got a few first downs until a pass to Sammy Watkins was caught and fumbled, with Xavien Howard recovering it for a touchdown. They went for an extra two points but got stopped. After some back-and-forth action, the Dolphins punted and pinned the Ravens at the one-yard line. Ironically, this ended up being a scoring drive for the Ravens, going the length of the field to finally get in the end zone for the first time.
Mark Andrews made the five-yard catch for the touchdown, making it 15-10, Dolphins. Looking to put the Ravens away, Tua Tagovailoa found Albert Wilson for a 65+ yard gain, which is exactly what the Ravens didn’t want. The Dolphins capitalized as the young quarterback ran it in for a 1-yard touchdown.
A deflated Baltimore offense made it to the redzone, but Lamar Jackson threw a pick in the endzone, ending the game. This loss proved to be a frustrating one, as the race for the playoffs in the AFC North just got much more interesting for the 6-3 Ravens.
Featured Image courtesy via Wallpaper-mania
