Key Matchups in Miami Dolphins' Critical Game vs. Ravens

Welcome to Week 14 of the NFL season, where the Miami Dolphins essentially find themselves in a playoff situation against one of their main competitors for an AFC playoff berth. The Baltimore Ravens currently trail the Dolphins in the playoff picture, but this head-to-head matchup could quickly turn the tide.

Miami owns possession of the final wild-card spot after its comeback victory over the New York Jets on Monday night. For the Dolphins, continue to win and you’re in. But a loss against the Ravens could cripple playoff chances, so a strong performance is in order to defeat another hungry team.

The Dolphins will need to play one of their strongest games of the season against the Ravens, who have excellent trench play on both sides of the ball. Miami’s defensive line was dominated against the Jets last week, giving up 277 rushing yards in an embarrassing performance lacking pride and execution.

To get a better team performance, the Dolphins will need to win several individual matchups. Let’s take a look at four players who outproduce their Ravens counterpart.

Brian Hartline vs. Lardarius Webb

Hartline injured his knee in the second quarter against the Jets, but according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Hartline is expected to play this Sunday with a minor knee bruise.

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Hartline knee injury is not serious. Just a bruise. Playing Sunday is realistic, barring setback.

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) December 2, 2014"

Miami doesn’t need Hartline to be the primary target that he was in recent years, which is good because he continues to struggle getting open, but the Dolphins offense needs to get solid production Sunday out of the No. 2 receiver position.

Lardarius Webb is a highly talented cornerback for the Ravens, but he’s mired in a very poor season. He splits time outside and in the slot, but with Jimmy Smith out with a season-ending foot injury, he’s been logging a vast majority of snaps outside.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Webb has allowed 72.2 percent of all targets to be completed for an average of 13.7 yards and a quarterback rating of 115.8. Throwing to his man usually means it’s time to feast for the offense.

If Hartline cannot produce or is not as healthy as projected, Brandon Gibson should take over and continue taking snaps from Hartline. It can easily be argued that’s a change that should be made regardless, but the Dolphins have yet to fully commit to that.

Make sure to keep an eye on how much Miami attacks the Ravens secondary, as that is easily the most vulnerable part of their team.

Dallas Thomas vs. Elvis Dumervil

The spotlight is white-hot again on Dallas Thomas this week, as he draws another very difficult assignment. In his first four weeks at right tackle, Thomas has had to battle against Mario Williams, Von Miller and now Dumervil. Struggles have ensued but should be expected.

If Thomas’ performance against the Jets is an indicator, he’s getting better at the position. He allowed three hurries on Ryan Tannehill but no sacks, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That’s progress for a guy who was getting trained to be a guard all season long.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Dumervil has logged 12.5 sacks on the season and is coming off another game where he created immense pressure on an opposing quarterback. He hit Philip Rivers twice and created three more hurries, according to PFF. The only negative to his game is that he is prone to committing penalties, as he jumped offside three times against the San Diego Chargers.

Miami can use Dumervil’s aggressiveness against him, as Tannehill has been utilizing the hard count more often to neutralize the pass rush jumping the snap. This should help Thomas as well.

Another option to provide support to Thomas is to use rollouts, play actions and a help blocker in Dion Sims. Moving Tannehill’s launch point using misdirection is not only smart because it helps the offensive line, but Tannehill excels at making throws on the move.

R.J. Stanford vs. Steve Smith

In a surprising move, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle opted to start R.J. Stanford at cornerback despite him being re-signed to the team the previous week over Walt Aikens. Stanford has more experience at the position than Aikens, who has been at safety until injuries struck, but he’s not quite the athlete Aikens is.

Stanford played decently, lining up in press coverage often against Eric Decker of the Jets. Baltimore will likely throw at least double the amount of passes the Jets did, so this week is a much bigger test if Cortland Finnegan cannot play again due to injury.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

Smith has enjoyed a renaissance season for the Ravens after being released from the Carolina Panthers last year. He’s already bested his numbers from 2013, now with 54 catches, 819 yards and five touchdowns. His physicality and ability to win at the catch point is going to be challenging for the Dolphins secondary, as Smith has made a very successful career with his playing style.

Smith may see time against Brent Grimes and others this game, as Torrey Smith missed the final two drives last week against the Chargers, and his status is in question. Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun reported that Smith is “day to day” at this point, but it’s something to monitor as Sunday approaches.

If Steve Smith is lined up against Grimes, Miami definitely has the advantage, but if Torrey is healthy, that puts Miami in a tougher spot if Finnegan is unable to go.

Randy Starks vs. Kelechi Osemele

The area where the Ravens really own an advantage on Miami is in the trenches. Although the Dolphins’ defensive line has been solid this year, the last two weeks have been very poor. At the forefront of the decline in rush defense is defensive tackle Randy Starks.

Starks has been more of a pass-rusher throughout his career, and opposing offenses are finding that if Earl Mitchell can be doubled, Starks is vulnerable to run at. His PFF grade of minus-5.4 against the Jets was mostly due to his poor run defense. That cannot continue, but his matchup gets no easier this week.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Kelechi Osemele is a terrific guard for the Ravens, grading negatively by PFF just once this year as a run-blocker. He’s a mauler at 6’5”, 335 pounds, but he moves well for his incredible size. Along with Marshal Yanda, the Ravens have one of the best interior offensive lines in the league.

That means Miami must simply outexecute and outplay the Ravens in the trenches to stop the run. With Joe Flacco at quarterback, the Dolphins cannot afford to sell out and put eight men in the box like they could against the Jets. With less than eight in the box, the Denver Broncos and Jets tore Miami to shreds in the run game.

Since Coyle cannot afford to keep Reshad Jones in the box all game, the Dolphins defensive line just needs to perform better. Mitchell is a solid run defender, but Starks is the catalyst when he’s rotated in for Jared Odrick.

If Starks can penetrate the backfield but also keep gap integrity, the Dolphins linebackers can shoot gaps and make plays on the running back more effectively. This may be the most important matchup of all on Sunday.

The Dolphins are in a must-win game once again. Last time they needed a win, they were able to defeat the Buffalo Bills 22-9. Facing Baltimore at home is a nice advantage this time of year, and Miami needs to prove that it is a real contender by playing a great overall game. If the Dolphins succeed in the above four matchups, they should find themselves in a position to win the game.

All stats used are from Sports-Reference.com.

Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor for Optimum Scouting and analyst for eDraft. 

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