Beat the Ravens would give a huge boost to the Dolphins season
The Miami Dolphins are coming off a well-rounded victory to start the season, but it’s clear this team has not reached its full potential yet. Phins must play better and specifically on offense to get the win because going to Baltimore is always a tough challenge, especially for the Dolphins. The Dolphins have lost their last 4 games at M&T Bank Stadium and have not beat the Ravens on the road since 1997.
Yikes!
So, if they pull out a win today, Miami will show the world they have the right stuff for sure!
Phins need to get their offensive humming
Miami finally beat Baltimore last season with heavy pressure that put the lid on Lamar Jackson. If Miami wants to pull off the road victory, they will have to go with a similar defensive game plan, brimming with blitzes to pressure Jackson. Likely keeping a spy on him will be smart to limit the damage he does with his legs. Jackson does suffer when he gets blitzed, and the Dolphins do that more than anyone. This could be the key advantage for us that has Miami walking out of Baltimore a winner.
On offense, there was still a lot to be desired last week. The running game only produced 65 yards on 23 carries for a paltry 2.8 yards per carry average. This must get better. It will be interesting to see if Gaskin plays, and if the run game still can’t produce. Edmonds was excellent, though. The O-line must do a better job run blocking. Wilson, Waddle and Hill, each got a chance to run the ball, and combined for 22 yards on the ground on 3 carries. I would expect this to continue with McDaniel giving his wide receivers a chance in the running game, similar to how he utilized Deebo Samuel in San Francisco.
Also, the offensive line must give Tua better protection, who was sacked 3 times along with being pressured 44% of the time. Miami was lucky to not turn the ball over. While Tua has to be a better decision maker and protect the football better, the O-line needs to give Tua time to get the ball down field to his playmakers. Hill and Waddle were both as good as advertised, they just need to get on the field more together and have the chance to go deep because the Offense only put up 13 points…
… and that’s not good enough.
Dolphins aren’t getting ugly odds to win
The best price per head sites have the line with the Ravens being a -3.5 point favorite. This will be another tightly fought contest and the winner will probably be whoever wins the turnover battle. Both teams are 1-0, and this is the type of game that the winner will have a huge edge in terms of tie breakers in a loaded AFC Conference.
The Dolphins have a tough gauntlet of Pro Bowl caliber QB’s over the next three weeks, where they face Jackson, Allen and Burrow. Jackson is already a former league MVP, and the other two QB’s are arguably better then him. It will be riveting TV to see if McDaniel get the offense on track and finally win a road game in Baltimore.
What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans thoughts on what Miami needs to do to win this upcoming game?