Lamar Jackson returned his talents to South Florida, where his Baltimore Ravens, who were 6-2 coming in, visited the 2-7 Miami Dolphins, betting favorites were ready for “the Jax show.”
However, that is why they play the game.
Let us get into the sauce.
Jacoby Brissett started the Thursday night primetime game; however, he exited after hurting his right knee. Emergency quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with a fractured middle finger on his throwing hand entered the contest. Let the fun begin.
Tagovailoa led the Dolphins in a stunning win over the Baltimore Ravens 22-10 on Thursday night.
Tagovailoa finished 8 of 13 for 158 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Dolphins have won two games in a row.
The Ravens’ offense was not what many viewers expected to see in this game.
The nominee for best play belonged to Robert Hunt. The 6’6, 327-pound offensive lineman, had the game’s play, except he is an offensive lineman. Tagovailoa completed a pass to the right guard. He rumbled toward the goal line, got flipped over, and appeared to reach the ball over the goal line. It did not count.
The best play of the game belonged to the Dolphins defense sealing the game. Cornerback Xavien Howard stripped the football and scoped it for a touchdown return.
The Dolphins’ defense was terrific, holding the Ravens without a touchdown until 4:12 left in the game.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has thrown five interceptions over his last four games. He was sacked four times in the game.
Jackson faced defensive back blitzes on 11 third-down dropbacks.
Entering the game, Ravens scored at least 14 points in all 45 of Jackson’s starts in the regular season. Miami snapped that, keeping the Ravens to 10 points.
Dolphins did an excellent job of turning the Ravens into a one-dimensional offense. From there, the Dolphins were able to add tons of pressure. And the Ravens had zero answers for the Dolphins’ defense.
There are some concerns for the Ravens defensive secondary. The Dolphins entered as one of the worst offenses in the NFL; there were some blown coverages, and Tua, as a back up took advantage.
Offensively, the Ravens rely on Jackson to turn into Superman and save the day, but they need to come up with a plan to have a more balanced offense. Lamar alone is not sustainable in the long run.
The win can catapult the Dolphins into the remainder of the season. The Dolphins played so fast and furious on defense, constantly blitzing. The front seven was amazing, disrupting one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.
Offensively Jaylen Waddle, Albert Wilson, and Isaiah ford were impressive. Will fuller and Devante parker returning can give the Dolphins hope, significantly if Tagovailoa can improve with the running game. The Dolphins can make a run and be competitive in the second half of the year.
The schedule is reasonable. Dolphins play the Jets twice, the New York Giants and Carolina panthers. A 7-7 record is possible, keyword possible. Dolphins need to take it one game at a time; this is the biggest win of the season, their best offense and defense performance.
Tagovailoa must play so they know that he is their quarterback of the future. You can’t win in the NFL unless you have a good quarterback.
Dolphins will be off for three days now. This is the best time to recharge; it is a mini bye. It is a confidence builder for the dolphins coming off a win.
