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LB Jamie Sharper
keyed a dominating
Ravens defense
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It sure looks like Baltimore is back in the groove that it was in last season when it
marched to the Super Bowl title behind a stifling defense and a punishing running game.
The Ravens (11-6) thoroughly dominated the Dolphins (11-6) in Miami, winning 20-3 to
earn a third meeting of this season against top-seeded Pittsburgh next Sunday.
Baltimore rushed for 228 yards and controlled the line of scrimmage defensively too,
holding Miami to 134 total yards, including just 43 on the ground, and nine first downs.
If Baltimore continues to play like it did against Miami, it will be hard to unseat.
Baltimore beat Pittsburgh in their first meeting this season, 13-10 at Heinz Field. The
Ravens then fell 26-21 at home to the Steelers in the return meeting as Kordell Stewart
had a great game. The rubber match should be a classic. That should be must-see TV for any
football fan.
Here’s a look at random thoughts and comments accumulated throughout a thoroughly
one-sided playoff game:
First quarter
A big blow to the Dolphins before the game even starts as star WR Chris Chambers is out
with two sore ankles. Also, WR Oronde Gadsden is hobbled by a sore hamstring, severely
limiting the Dolphins’ offensive capabilities. Jeez, it was a limited offense to
start with, so now what?
What a great start for the Dolphins as Ravens Pro Bowl KR Jermaine Lewis fumbles the
opening kickoff and Miami’s Tommy Hendricks recovers at the Baltimore 24. Dolphins
head coach Dave Wannstedt talked all week about having to contain Lewis, that he was a big
key to this game, and it sure seems like that right off the bat.
The Ravens put the clamps down and hold the Dolphins to a 33-yard field goal. No
surprise there. Miami 3, Baltimore 0.
Great kick coverage once again by the Dolphins as they tackled Lewis at the Baltimore
14.
Baltimore’s offense looks shaky, and it goes nowhere on its first possession. The
Dolphins also struggle, despite a nice first-down run by backup QB Ray Lucas, and are
forced to punt.
P Matt Turk hits a great punt, and Terry Cousins keeps it out of the endzone as
it’s downed at the Ravens’ one. However, Cousins is called for illegal touching
since he was forced out of bounds and was the first player to touch the ball. By rule, he
could not be the first one to do that. The Dolphins must punt again.
I’ve got to give Turk a lot of credit for what he did after his second punt. He
sees teammate Twan Russell get held by the Ravens’ Ed Hartwell. Then, he sees
Hartwell deliver a blow to Russell’s head while he was on the ground. An incensed
Turk comes to his fallen teammate’s aid by diving in and hitting Hartwell. The
officials see both infractions against Hartwell and eject him. What a stupid, stupid play
by the rookie linebacker.
After the personal-foul penalty is assessed, the Ravens take over at their own 10. They
then proceed to march down the field, relying on the run and a few key passes. Grbac finds
TEs Shannon Sharpe and Todd Heap to get the drive going, then turns to RBs Terry Allen,
Moe Williams and Jason Brookins to move the chains.
On a key 3rd-and-3, Grbac goes out wide, and a direct snap to Jermaine Lewis
results in a first down.
The first quarter ends with Baltimore on the Miami 13-yard line. It is the 12th
straight game that Baltimore has failed to score a touchdown in the first quarter.
Second quarter
Grbac keeps this lengthy, and impressive, drive alive by scrambling for three yards on
a 3rd-and-3 to give Baltimore a 1st-and-goal.
On the 16th play (!) of the drive, Allen bursts through a huge hole in the
middle of the line for a five-yard TD run. The Ravens chewed up 61 of their 90 yards on
the ground during the drive. PK Matt Stover’s PAT makes it 7-3. Miami is in BIG
trouble if it allows the Ravens to control the line of scrimmage like this.
Jermaine Lewis gets off a great punt return that ends with Turk tackling him by the
facemask, but a holding penalty offsets the facemask and negates the big return.
The defenses are dominating, and it’s clear that there won’t be many points
scored on this day.
Grbac throws a pass to WR Brandon Stokley, and he’s immediately hit and stripped
of the ball. Cousins picks up the loose ball and returns it for an easy touchdown. But the
play is whistled dead as it was ruled to be an incomplete pass. Replays show that it was a
good call. It doesn’t look as though Stokley had full control of the ball before it
was knocked loose.
It looks more and more that the Dolphins will need a miracle to score an offensive
touchdown against this fierce Ravens defense. Incredibly, the Dolphins have been inside
the Ravens’ 40-yard line only once today, and that was only because of Jermaine
Lewis’ fumble on the opening kickoff. Wow.
Jay Fiedler completes a pass to Dedric Ward, but he’s just 6-of-10 passing for 39
yards in the first half. The Dolphins turn the ball over when RB Travis Minor is stripped
by LB Jamie Sharper and LB Peter Boulware recovers at the Dolphins’ 41.
Moe Williams bursts ahead for a first down with 44 seconds left, but the Ravens go
ultraconservative and run Allen up the middle to set up a last-second field-goal try by
Stover. The plan backfires when Stover’s 40-yard attempt hits the left upright and
falls short. It’s 7-3 at the half. These are two bad offenses and two very good
defenses.
Miami ends the half with 68 total yards of offense (33 rushing, 35 passing).
Third quarter
The Ravens don’t do anything on their first drive, and Miami takes over. Fiedler
hits TE Jed Weaver for 21 yards into Ravens territory. It’s the longest gain of the
night for the Dolphins.
Fiedler makes a gutsy scramble for nine yards to set up a 4th-and-1 at the
Ravens’ 40. However, after a Miami timeout to set up this key play, Gadsden gets
called for a false start, and Miami is forced to punt. That’s the way things have
gone for Miami in this one.
Turk’s punt is a great one and is downed at the Ravens’ one. Turk has clearly
been the Dolphins’ MVP in this one. That’s usually not a good sign, however,
when your best player is your punter.
The Ravens get a little breathing room as Allen moves ahead for three yards, then six
yards. They continue to pound the ball right up the middle against the Dolphins’
interior defense. OG Edwin Mulitalo and Bennie Anderson and C Mike Flynn are just
overpowering their Miami counterparts. Plus, I haven’t heard much from Dolphins star
DE Jason Taylor, who has been shut down by Pro Bowl OLT Jonathan Ogden.
On 3rd-and-1, the Ravens finally open things up, and Grbac lofts a perfect
pass down the sideline to WR Travis Taylor for a huge 45-yard gain. Taylor beat CB Patrick
Surtain on the play, which gives Baltimore a first down at the Miami 47. What a
demoralizing play if you’re a Dolphins player.
Taylor is starting to emerge as a key part of the Ravens’ attack as he takes an
end-around for 15 yards and another first down.
As Brookins and Allen pound the ball up the middle, it’s hard to believe that
Miami was ranked fifth against the run during the regular season. I wonder how much is due
to the absence of DT Daryl Gardener, who is injured.
On 3rd-and-goal from the Miami five, Grbac lofts another perfect pass to
Taylor, this one in the back of the endzone, for a touchdown. Once again, Taylor beats
Surtain. Stover’s PAT makes it 14-3 with 1:20 left in the third quarter. Boy, the
Ravens’ 11-point lead seems insurmountable, doesn’t it?
The scoring drive is the Ravens’ second lengthy one of the game. This one traveled
99 yards in 11 plays. The ability to run the ball has allowed offensive coordinator Matt
Cavanaugh to open up the offense, and when the Ravens are ahead and playing confidently,
they’re awfully tough to beat. They’re the defending champions, and they’re
playing like it.
As the quarter ends with Miami taking over possession, the Dolphins can take comfort in
the fact that they have made five fourth-quarter comebacks this season. They also led the
NFL in fourth-quarter scoring with 142 points. We’ll see if that comes into play.
Fourth quarter
Fiedler misses connections with Ward twice, one being an absolutely unforgivable drop
by Ward. Fiedler is then sacked by Boulware and DT Sam Adams recovers the resulting fumble
at the Miami 37.
Allen rushes up the middle for eight yards, then for nine. Naturally, both runs are
right up the gut.
Stover comes on to boot a 35-yard field goal, making it 17-3 with 11:05 left. Although
they’re still within two scores, I don’t think anyone believes the Dolphins will
come back in this one.
Miami doesn’t give up, though, and moves the ball to midfield. Fiedler drops back
to throw long and finds WR James McKnight at the Ravens’ five-yard line. But the ball
hits McKnight in the shoulder pads and deflects to Ravens CB Duane Starks for an easy
interception. What a devastating turn of events for the Dolphins. I guess that really
crystallizes their night. Do they miss Chambers’ play-making ability at wideout or
what? It’s the second big drop by a Dolphins receiver, plus Gadsden had a key
false-start penalty. A terrible, terrible game by Miami’s WR corps.
Baltimore moves the ball with ease, and it results in another Stover field goal, this
one from 40 yards, to make it 20-3 with 2:01 left.
Miami’s final drive ends meekly, with an incomplete pass. It’s a shame
offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has to go out with such a dismal memory. He was an
exceptional offensive coordinator at Pittsburgh and Miami with a head-coaching stint at
Dallas sandwiched in between. He’s now going to the collegiate ranks to become the
head coach of Georgia Tech. Rumors place either QB coach Mike Shula (the former offensive
coordinator at Tampa Bay) or Norv Turner (the former offensive coordinator at San Diego
and a close friend of head coach Dave Wannstedt’s) as Gailey’s successor.
It’ll be interesting to see what develops on that front.
Let’s hear it for the Ravens’ dominating defense, which has now allowed only
one touchdown in five playoff games (an Eddie George TD run last season). Baltimore is
also 5-0 in the postseason under head coach Brian Billick.
Ageless Terry Allen deserves credit for another great rushing game, finishing with 109
yards on 25 carries. It’s his second straight 100-yard effort as the Ravens have
finally recommitted to the running game. That’s a very bad sign for opponents. |
