Baltimore Ravens vs. Miami Dolphins: Full Report Card Grades for Miami
It all started off so well.
The Miami Dolphins were up 10-0, and the Baltimore Ravens couldn't get anything done on offense or on defense.
Then, the Ravens got the wake-up call to start the game. That wake-up call came when pinned at their own 2-yard line with the Dolphins selling everything out to get the safety.
Instead Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco ran it 18 yards, kickstarting a 98-yard drive to make it 10-7, and after that, the Ravens outscored the Dolphins 21-3 in the second half, resulting in a 28-13 Dolphins loss.
This game was atrocious, as the defense looked like it had given up, while the offensive line gave fans bad flashbacks of Jonathan Martin and Tyson Clabo. It was outmuscled, outplayed, outcoached and outsmarted Sunday afternoon, and because of that the Dolphins are now 7-6 with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
Everyone deserves equal blame in this mess, and we're going to look at that today in the game grades.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Ryan Tannehill's numbers tell you the story of a quarterback who played well.
Tannehill completed 69.6 percent of his passes, throwing for 227 yards, one touchdown and no interception.
This was despite the fact that he was sacked six times.
However, that doesn't mean it was a good performance from Tannehill, far from it. On a number of sacks, Tannehill just ate the ball instead of attempting to throw it away. He stuck to his reads for too long, resulting in tipped passes and some of those said sacks.
Did I like his performance? Not one bit.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
"After great start, Miller gets only 3 carries for 6 yards in 2nd half.Tannehill: 22-33,227, sacked 6 times.Landry:6 catches-55.Wallace:3-39
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) December 7, 2014"
See that breakdown? That's unacceptable.
Why did Lamar Miller only touch the ball three times in the second half? The game was there for the taking for most of it, yet Miller was never looked to.
What makes that maddening is the fact that in the first half, Miller ran for 50 yards on nine carries.
How do you mess that up?
I can't blame Miller for that, but I can say Damien Williams was disappointing when he was in the game, which drags the grades down for Miami's running backs.
Grade: B+
Wide Receivers
3 of 10
If only Brandon Gibson would've made that catch in the second quarter.
If only Mike Wallace would've run his route and lay out for that Ryan Tannehill pass in the third quarter.
If only...if only.
That's all I can say about Miami's wide receivers, who let the Dolphins down time and again on Sunday, leaving yards and points on the table.
Grade: C
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
I can not think of the words to properly describe Miami's offensive line performance.
It was horrendous, but that doesn't feel strong enough to properly describe what we all saw on Sunday.
Dallas Thomas was bullied all game long by Elvis Dumervil, while Shelley Smith had a few horrendous plays, including one drive in the third quarter where the Dolphins had 1st-and-goal from the 4. This was Smith's sequence.
First play: missed a block, stuffing Lamar Miller two yards back.
Second play: false start.
Those are seven yards lost by one man, and if I calculated all of the yards Dallas Thomas lost, it would be enough to make you pine for Tyson Clabo.
It was a bad day for the Dolphins offensive line, which now clearly misses Branden Albert.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Here's another unit that was bullied for most of the afternoon.
In the first quarter, it looked like Miami's defensive line had gotten it together. It was forcing three-and-outs, stuffing the run and not allowing Joe Flacco to breathe.
Then when everything started to fall apart for the Dolphins, this was the first unit to fall. Flacco was only sacked once, and as the game kept going, Baltimore kept running, finishing with 183 yards rushing on the afternoon.
This unit's self-destruction over the last three weeks might mean that at the very least Kevin Coyle will no longer be with the Dolphins.
Grade: D
Linebackers
6 of 10
Remember the Dolphins linebackers who missed tackles and allowed small gains to become big plays?
Here they were on full display on Sunday afternoon. This time, even Jelani Jenkins wasn't his usual self. However, he was a bit banged up, which could explain his drop in play.
As for Philip Wheeler, the sooner this season ends and Miami can get rid of him, the better. His missed tackle on Joe Flacco in the second quarter set up Baltimore's 98-yard drive.
This unit's performance was just as bad as the defensive line's. However, while the defensive line could use a change in attitude and scheme, the linebackers need a change in personnel.
Grade: D
Secondary
7 of 10
Miami's secondary was very hit-or-miss on Sunday.
It was consistent at least, even though it was neither consistently good nor bad. It was just average.
It could've played a lot better, but it wasn't too beat up.
This wasn't like with the defensive line and linebackers. Baltimore's receivers never really gained too big of an advantage. They just ran their routes, and Flacco found them.
On top of that, keep in mind that Miami's secondary likely lost Louis Delmas for a while and is starting a guy at corner who wasn't in the league two weeks ago.
For a banged up unit, this wasn't too bad.
Grade: C
Special Teams
8 of 10
Well, at least the special teams were good.
The Dolphins nearly blocked two Baltimore punts, Caleb Sturgis was perfect in his field goals and every kickoff was a touchback.
Brandon Fields punted for an average of 51.4 yards, and Jarvis Landry did well returning kicks (for punts he was just average).
One unit can be proud of today.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
"@greggrosenthal @AdamHBeasley https://t.co/T0yjRxabn6
— jj (@860finatic) December 7, 2014"
How is this able to happen? It's at least the third time this season a player has gotten into a screaming match with Joe Philbin.
How can you allow a game plan that doesn't take advantage of the Ravens defense's weakness?
How do you not have Billy Turner active when your offensive line is a MASH unit and your right tackle is an outright disaster (note: Billy Turner was a tackle in college)?
How do you not keep going to a running back who had a first half where he averaged 5.5 yards per carry and instead only hand it off to him three times in the second half?
How are you not prepared for a do-or-die de facto playoff game at home?
This was atrocious, and the funny thing is I was defending Philbin up until the middle of the fourth quarter—at that point it looked like the team just gave up.
That's on the coaching staff, who bungled this game royally.
Grade: F
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Grade |
| Quarterback | C |
| Running Back | B+ |
| Wide Receiver | C |
| Offensive Line | F |
| Defensive Line | D |
| Linebackers | D |
| Secondary | C |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | F |
| Final Grade | F |
This was a bad, BAD performance for the Dolphins.
They started off well but then got flat as the game went on. Points were left on the board, game plans that worked were abandoned, players messed up. It was every weakness on this team being exploited in ways that should've been expected but never thought possible.
Now the Dolphins are 7-6, and to save their playoff lives they must win in New England.
That's not a position you want to be in.
Statistics provided by NFL.com.
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