The following represents the opinion of the student reporter and does not represent the views of Loyola University Maryland, the Greyhound, or Loyola University’s Department of Communication.

Week 2 started with a bang as the Baltimore Ravens faced another team with a 1-0 record: the Miami Dolphins. On the opening kickoff, Devin Duvernay caught the ball in the opposing end zone and ran the length of the field for a 103-yard return touchdown. The Ravens set the tone early, but the Dolphins responded on defense, which would be on full display in the second quarter.

The Ravens made it to the one-yard line and were facing a third-and-goal as Lamar Jackson appeared to have leaped into the endzone. However, after reviewing the play, the officials called him down before he crossed the plane, so now Baltimore faced a fourth-and-goal. They decided to go for it, and after a bad snap, they fumbled the ball but were able to recover it. This didn’t matter though, as Miami retained possession and gained momentum downfield, finding themselves in the red zone.

Here, Jaylen Waddle made a six-yard catch for a touchdown. Shortly after, the Ravens would catch fire as three players recorded touchdowns. Rashod Bateman caught a 75-yard touchdown pass, Mark Andrews had a one-yard touchdown, and Demarcus Robinson had a 12-yard touchdown right before halftime.

As the third quarter started, the Ravens led 28-7. Then, the Dolphins scored again, and just as they started gaining some sort of traction, Jackson ran for a 79-yard touchdown, his longest ever. The score was now 35-14.

Then the fourth quarter hit and the Ravens’ defense collapsed.

They allowed three straight scores from the Dolphins, led by their young quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and newly added superstar receiver, Tyreek Hill. With about two minutes left and a tie game, the Ravens were able to get into field goal range where Justin Tucker nailed a 51-yard kick. Unfortunately for the Ravens, it was not enough as the Tagovailoa-led offense went the length of the field and found Jaylen Waddle for a touchdown, completing the twenty-one-point comeback.

So, was the Ravens’ offense that bad down the stretch, or did their defense give up too many open looks when they needed one stop? Any team in the NFL that puts up 38 points is considered to have had a decent game offensively. Jackson threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns, so the offense was not the problem. The problem was getting a timely stop when needed. Marcus Williams had seven tackles and three assists, and a few others played well, but the entire defense made some rookie mistakes in the fourth quarter.

There were multiple instances where coverages were blown and guys like Hill were found wide open downfield or in the middle of the field. Additionally, on the game-winning drive, Baltimore let Miami running back Chase Edmonds run for a huge gain with little resistance, putting the Dolphins within range of the red zone. With 14 seconds left, they did just that as Waddle caught the game-winning seven-yard touchdown.

To be fair, most fans would not have bet on Waddle, Hill, and Tagovailoa having such great games. Waddle finished with 11 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns and Hill recorded 11 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns in what may have been the best game of his career.

To call the loss unfortunate may be a bit of an understatement for the Ravens. Multiple players on the Dolphins had career games and the Ravens were not able to match their energy down the stretch. They will look to redeem themselves next Sunday against the Patriots on the road in Gillette Stadium.

Featured Image courtesy of Doug Pensinger via Getty Images