Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins: Position by Position Grades

Secondary

Dec 7, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens strong safety Matt Elam (26) at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

“If it weren’t for this defensive line, this already depleted Ravens’ passing defense would look a lot worse.” About that statement that I made two slides ago, that “already depleted Ravens’ passing defense” happens to be ranked second-to-last in the league in passing yards allowed. It is pretty hard to imagine the worst secondary in the league getting any worse, but if the front seven wasn’t performing the way it has been this season, they would be. That’s a scary thought for Baltimore.

The group wasn’t terrible in this game, but again, Ryan Tannehill was facing pressure the entire second half. I could be a defensive back when my front seven is applying that type of pressure.

And when the Dolphins did test this Ravens’ secondary, they were pretty successful. Second-year safety Matt Elam has continued to look terrible this season, missing almost every single opportunity he has at recording a tackle. This week was far from the secondary’s worst, but let’s see how they perform when the front seven doesn’t record six sacks.

Grade: C