I'm not sure how much to take from a game that was basically handed to us during a stunning 22-minute stretch, when a Dolphins team that tied a league record for fewest turnovers in a season self-imploded. Miami turned the ball over 5 times during those 22 minutes (including 4 picks, most of them gift-wrapped by a QB who'd thrown only 7 in the previous 16 games), and a 3-3 nail-biter became a 20-3 laugher.
I'm hearing a lot of talk on the local airwaves about how we dominated this game. Certainly the final score says we did, as do the final rushing totals: for Miami, 52 yards on 21 rushes (2.5 yards/carry); for us, 151 yards on 33 rushes (4.6 yards/carry). Yet for all that, the Dolphins held the ball for nearly 7 more minutes. The imbalance in time of possession (combined, no doubt, with the Miami humidity) began to show by the final period, when our defense seemed to wear down chasing the Dolphins' short-passing game and our offense logged consecutive 3-and-outs.
Was I ever really worried? No, I suppose not. (Of course, Chad Pennington, even at his best, doesn't exactly strike fear in your heart, does he?) Still, it warrants mentioning as we prepare to play Tennessee and possibly Pittsburgh, two teams that beat us three times this year on 4th quarter/OT collapses. If we're really going to make a run at the Super Bowl, the defense needs to finish as strong as it starts and the offense needs to score TDs instead of field goals and move the chains late.
None of this is news, of course, and I don't want to be a downer on the eve of our first playoff win in seven years. In most respects it was a great win, and it was easily the largest margin of victory on Wild Card Weekend. But to beat Tennessee, we're going to have to play even better.
Keywords: Baltimore Ravens-Miami Dolphins Wild Card Weekend victory analysis
Comments
The difference between John Harbaugh's Ravens and Brian Billick's Ravens (other than the lack of ref-baiting) is that this year's team has a legitimate offense. Under Cam Cameron, we've moved the chains, thrown the ball downfield (and connected on some of them too), and scored TDs in the red zone. Maybe we're still a long way from last year's Pats, but the progress is undeniable. And it goes beyond the occasional gadget plays and 3-pronged running game. We're using unbalanced lines, receivers are clearing out zones for other receivers, we're running more effective play action, we're using the no-huddle ...
These Ravens will definitely lose if they can't do better on offense over the next month. The difference is, this year's Ravens CAN do better.
Thanks for writing!