NFL’s road warriors look to knock off rested Ravens: Miami Dolphins vs. Baltimore Ravens preview
If you’re an old-school football fan that enjoys slugfests, this may be your type of game. The Dolphins and the Ravens both like to play great defence and establish a solid running game. The Dolphins are
at 4-3, with all four of their wins coming on the road. The 5-2 Ravens are coming off a bye week after an overtime scare against Buffalo two weeks ago.
The Ravens obviously need their defence to be their usual selves against a Miami offence with plenty of weapons. The Dolphins have two solid running backs in Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Expect the
two to keep splitting carries as they have all season. Brown has 92 carries on the season, while Williams has 76.
The Dolphins have a dual threat in the passing game with Brandon Marshall on pace for a fourth straight 100-catch season with 47 through seven games. One thing Marshall will want more of is touchdowns.
He has only one on the season and has had trouble getting the ball in the redzone.
One other threat no one talks about, even though he’s becoming one of the elite slot receivers in the game, is Davone Bess. Bess has 39 catches himself along with 401 yards and three touchdowns. Bess is
also an excellent option on third-down.
What ultimately has cost the Dolphins from being an elite team is their inability to finish drives. Luckily they have a kicker that’s been money all season. Dan Carpenter should be on his way to the Pro
Bowl. Carpenter is 18-of-20 in his field goal attempts and both misses were from over 40 yards out. However the Dolphins will want to see him kicking more extra points than field goals. Ray Lewis and company will look to keep Carpenter on the sidelines altogether.
The Ravens can counter with their own solid running game in Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. With the backs well rested, the Ravens should come out pounding.
However, the Ravens have had some success with the passing game as well this season, thanks to Joe Flacco’s new weapons. Anquan Boldin has performed as hyped with 38 catches for 518 yards and five touchdowns.
He’s also opened things up for Derrick Mason who has 26 receptions for 357 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Todd Heap has 24 catches himself for 318 yards and three touchdowns. That makes them deep at the position and will be tough to handle for Miami’s young
secondary.
The Dolphins have seen the emergence of some new stars on defence. That includes cornerback Vontae Davis, linebacker Cam Wake and of course the leader of it all in Karlos Dansby. Dansby was brought in
to be a force up the middle and he has been exactly that. He’s able to make plays at any given time, which can cause the Ravens some problems.
Miami may be doing things the hard way, winning on the road and losing at home, but if they can do it, more power to them.
"It's a hard way to do it, but we're doing it -- and coming into these environments," Coach Tony Sparano said of the Dolphins' road success. "This team really does a good job. They're a resilient bunch
of guys."
Don’t forget the Dolphins are a team most likely to slip into the playoffs as a wild card rather than a division winner. If they’re this good on the road, that can go really far come January. Expect a
hard-fought defensive game with Carpenter’s reliability being the difference in the end. Kickoff is at 1:00 pm from MT&T Bank Stadium.
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