Ravens vs. Dolphins: Previewing Baltimore's Week 13 Matchup
The Baltimore Ravens have found a bit of a groove in recent weeks and will look to continue their momentum when they face the Miami Dolphins in Week 13.
After Monday's 33-27 win over the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore comes into this week on its first two-game winning streak of the season. When you've struggled as much as the Ravens have this year, it's about taking baby steps back to competing at a high level.
That's especially true when you've lost as many key players as the Ravens have this season. Their starting quarterback, running back, wide receiver, center, and outside linebacker are all on injured reserve right now.
Despite all of the losses and adversity the Ravens have faced, they've not stopped playing hard and competing. That's why they have yet to lose a game this season by more than one score and have won two straight games.
Can they make it three in a row?
Here is our preview of Sunday's game between the Ravens and Dolphins.
Game Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida
Date: Sunday, December 6
TV: CBS
Week 13 Results and Recap
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Baltimore is coming off a thrilling win over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football.
It was a game that came down to the wire before Ravens defensive end Brent Urban blocked Browns kicker Travis Coons' 51-yard game-winning field-goal attempt. Safety Will Hill then picked the ball up and ran it back 64 yards for the game-winning touchdown to give the Ravens an improbable 33-27 win.
All of this came after the Ravens held a 27-20 lead going into the final minutes, but the secondary blew another lead by allowing the Browns to march right down the field for the game-tying score.
It looked as though this would be the latest gut-wrenching loss for Baltimore in the midst of a disastrous season. But the Ravens did just enough to overcome this adversity and pull off the win.
Despite the win that now has Baltimore riding a two-game winning streak, the Bengals are still in control of the division at 9-2 overall. The good news is that the Ravens are two games ahead of the Browns and two games behind the Steelers for second place.
AFC North Standings
1. Cincinnati Bengals (8-2)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)
3. Baltimore Ravens (4-7)
4. Cleveland Browns (2-9)
News and Notes
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Will Hill goes from goat to hero
When the Ravens needed someone to make a play Monday night, safety Will Hill answered the call.
After Brent Urban blocked a Browns field-goal attempt as time expired, it was Hill who scooped up the ball and ran down the sideline, avoiding several Browns en route to the end zone for the game-winning score.
But it was also Hill who blew a coverage that allowed Browns quarterback Austin Davis to hit receiver Travis Benjamin for a 47-yard touchdown with 1:47 left in the game to tie it at 27.
"It was almost a game of redemption," coach John Harbaugh said, via ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "Will Hill didn’t do a very good job on the coverage. He got fooled a little bit and gave up a touchdown pass. Then he comes back and picks it up and runs it in."
In the span of a few minutes, Hill went from being a reason why the Ravens lost to being why they won. For his efforts, Hill won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award.
It's the first Player of the Week award of any kind that Hill has won in the NFL, according to AFC Director of Football Communications Joe Zimmer.
Ravens work out Ryan Mallett
The Ravens may be interested in adding another quarterback in the event that they move away from Matt Schaub. While Schaub played well at times Monday, he also made several critical mistakes that nearly cost Baltimore a win.
That may explain why the Ravens worked out former Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett, according to Hensley. Mallett was cut by Houston earlier this season for oversleeping and missing a team meeting.
In 13 career games (six starts), Mallett has completed 53.1 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He did start four games for Houston this season but eventually lost his job to Brian Hoyer and was later released.
At this point, the Ravens may stick with Schaub and Jimmy Clausen as their two quarterbacks, but Mallett could be someone they sign as the season rolls on.
Injury Report
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Kelechi Osemele
The Ravens got good news on the injury front Wednesday, as starting guard Kelechi Osemele was able to practice, according to the Ravens' injury report. He missed the last two games with a knee injury, as Baltimore's offensive line has been depleted over the past month.
Getting Osemele back this week will be a nice boost to the Ravens offense, especially if another starting lineman is still out.
Eugene Monroe
While Osemele was able to practice Wednesday, starting left tackle Eugene Monroe was unable to go. He's dealing with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss last week's win in Cleveland.
If Monroe can't go this week, James Hurst will continue to start in his absence. Hurst has been a liability more often than not, so getting Monroe back as soon as possible would be ideal.
TE Maxx Williams
The Ravens could be without rookie tight end Maxx Williams this Sunday after he suffered a concussion during Monday's win over the Browns. Williams is now in the NFL's concussion protocol and was unable to practice Wednesday.
The good news is that fellow rookie tight end Nick Boyle has done well in recent weeks and will simply get more snaps if Williams is out Sunday.
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Matchups to Watch
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Marshal Yanda vs. Ndamukong Suh
As bad as the Ravens' and Dolphins' records may be, their game will feature one of the best one-on-one matchups of Week 13.
Baltimore right guard Marshal Yanda will take on Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Yanda is easily one of the game's best guards, whereas Suh is one of the best defensive linemen you'll find.
This is truly a special matchup of two guys who are among the NFL's elite class of players. Who wins this matchup will also largely determine if the Ravens offense is able to operate efficiently or not.
The Dolphins defense doesn't have many playmakers, but Suh alone can destroy an offensive game plan. If Yanda can keep him at bay, Baltimore's offense should put up enough points to win this game.
James Hurst and/or Eugene Monroe vs. Olivier Vernon
While Suh gets a lot of the praise on Miami's defense, Olivier Vernon has quietly become one of the better defensive ends in the NFL.
Pro Football Focus has Vernon ranked as their third-best 4-3 defensive end, mainly thanks to his NFL-high 26 stops (tackles causing an offensive failure).
Vernon is frequently blowing up run plays and getting good pressure on quarterbacks, as evidenced by his NFL-high 18 QB hits. Making him even tougher for Baltimore to deal with is that starting left tackle Eugene Monroe is dealing with a shoulder injury.
If Monroe plays this week, he may be able to hold Vernon at bay enough for the Ravens offense to succeed. However, if Monroe is out and James Hurst has to start, that's really bad news for Baltimore.
Hurst has been a disaster at left tackle this season, ranking as PFF's fifth-worst offensive tackle out of 129 eligible players. He's been a major liability this season, and this is where Miami could look to expose and stop the Ravens offense.
Prediction
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The Ravens are riding high and playing hard in the midst of a bad season, whereas the Dolphins have played poorly and have been uninspired in the midst of their adversity.
The Dolphins has been outscored 150-78 over their past five games (1-5 record), and six of their seven losses have come by 10-plus points. In contrast, Baltimore has been within one score in every loss this season and played right down to the final second of every contest.
This is the time of the year when we see the teams with the best character and leadership dominate teams without those traits. This is a Dolphins team that's already fired head coach Joe Philbin and is simply waiting for the season to end.
The Ravens don't have the firepower to blow anyone out, but they have enough to go into Miami and come away with a win.
Final Score: Ravens 23, Dolphins 17
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