Baltimore Ravens: Score Prediction vs. Miami Dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins are both 4-7 and surprisingly still in the race for a potential wild card berth. Here is our prediction for the game on Sunday.

The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2015 season with high expectations. Many felt that this team was the favorite to win the AFC North and make a serious run in the playoffs. The same can be said for this week’s opponent, the Miami Dolphins.

Many experts – for lack of a better word – thought that this would be the season in which the Dolphins could make a run at winning the AFC East after finishing 8-8 the past two seasons. That has not been the case as the New England Patriots have once again ran away with the division and the Dolphins are sitting in last place. A rather disappointing season to say the least. Ravens fans feel their pain. But should we?

The Dolphins were hyped for a reason. Ryan Tannehill looked like a more than capable quarterback heading into the season. He has plenty of playmakers around him in Lamar Miller, Jarvis Landry and Jordan Cameron. The also have depth at those skill positions such as Jay Ajayi, Rishard Matthews, Kenny Stills and first-round pick DeVante Parker.

The defense figured to be dominant with the addition of Ndamukong Suh to a defensive line that already featured Cameron Wake and Oliver Vernon. Brent Grimes is a solid corner despite last week’s game in which he squared off against the much bigger Brandon Marshall. The Dolphins were also blessed with a schedule that featured mostly first-year or predominantly backup quarterbacks for the first six games of the season.

The Dolphins would go 3-3 in those games, but Joe Philbin and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle would both be fired during that span. Dan Campbell took over following the Week 4 loss and led Miami to two wins. Since, the Fins have just one win over the past five weeks and both the offense and defense 27th in the league. As a result, Bill Lazor was fired this week.

As crazy as it sounds, both teams are somehow still alive in the wild card chase with 4-7 records. That speaks more about the disappointing year it has been for AFC as a whole as the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans – yes, you read that right – are currently holding down the two wild card spots. This is an important game for both teams to keep those playoff hopes alive.

Prediction:

In my Q&A with my colleague Nate Wardle, he predicted a 22-17 win for the Dolphins. I have to agree with him that Miami will get the win at home, but expect a bit more scoring.

I want to give John Harbaugh credit for keeping the Ravens in every game and expect another tight contest that comes down to the wire. Getting a win on Monday night was huge for this team, but the talent level rises in this contest.

The Ravens are coming off back-to-back wins in which a lot has changed. Matt Schaub has taken over for an injured Joe Flacco. Javorius Allen and Terrance West filled in admirably for Justin Forsett, who broke his arm in the win over the St. Louis Rams. Yet, it was the special teams that saved the day in Monday night’s win over the Cleveland Browns.

To be frank about it, the Dolphins are a much better team than the Browns. They will present challenges that the Ravens were able to overcome against Cleveland. That begins with the battle in the trenches between the Ravens O-line and the Fins defensive line.

Baltimore did well last week missing three-fifths of their starting offensive line. Kelechi Osemele has practiced this week and are hopeful that he can get back onto the field. They are going to need his services against Suh and company in an effort to keep Schaub upright and the ground game going.

Next: Q&A with a Miami Dolphins fan

The main reason I think the Dolphins have the upper hand is that they are relatively healthy compared to the Ravens. Will Hill returning the blocked field goal for a touchdown has made many people forget that Schaub put the Ravens in that position with that late interception. If Baltimore had lost that game, everyone would have been chastising Schaub for his mistake.

Sorry Ravens fans, I trust Tannehill over Schaub and that’s why I am giving the Dolphins a win this week.