Baltimore vs. Miami
Ravens Get Dominant Win They Need in 40-0 Rout of Dolphins, But Lose Flacco Due to Concussion
The Baltimore Ravens recorded the most lopsided shutout win in franchise history after a 40-0 drubbing of the Miami Dolphins in front of a national television audience on Thursday night, but the health of their starting quarterback is a question moving forward.
A concussion suffered by Joe Flacco in the second quarter after a late hit by Kiko Alonso on a scramble put a damper on what otherwise was a performance that the Ravens (4-4) badly needed as they reached the midway point of the season.
Flacco was immediately placed in the concussion protocol when he came up wobbly after Alonso hit him high as the quarterback was sliding at the end of the 10-yard run. Flacco was also bleeding from the ear due to his helmet being ripped off in the hit.
“Joe had a concussion and a cut ear,” head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. “They were stitching it up without any anesthesia, so he’s a tough dude. That’s as much as I know.”
Alonso was hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, and the Ravens ended up scoring on the drive with backup quarterback Ryan Mallett. In addition, Baltimore got two separate pick-six touchdowns from C.J. Mosley (63-yarder) and Jimmy Smith (50 yards).
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The Ravens defense hasn’t been used to being criticized over the past 17 years or so, but they were starting to hear it after a rough performance in Minnesota last week and Chicago gashing them for 231 yards on the ground the week prior. But the two interception returns for touchdowns, along with pitching a shutout, was a performance that should quiet the doubters.
Harbaugh believes that his defensive unit took that talk over the last four days personally.
“I hope [they did]. I think they did, and I believe they did. It’s really not what we’re about—giving up a bunch of yards in the running game,” Harbaugh commented to reporters after the game. “Sure, they took it personally, and I’m proud of the way they responded.”
The Ravens also logged three sacks and held the Dolphins’ running game to just 45 yards on the night.
“Being 31st in the league for a Raven running defense, that’s unheard of,” Mosley said after the win. “Today was a good start. We’ve just got to make sure we’ve got that same mentality for the rest of the way. That’s our brand of football.”
Offensively, Alex Collins had a career-high 113 yards rushing in the win. Flacco was an efficient 10-for-15 passing for 101 yards and a touchdown before leaving. After the injury, the Ravens ran the ball more, as Mallet completed just three passes in seven attempts for 20 yards, but he did add a touchdown toss. Jeremy Maclin led the receivers with 53 yards and a touchdown.
It was a fairly surprising result for a Miami (4-3) team that came in at 4-2 on a three-game winning streak going against the Ravens, who entered losing three of four.
Miami was also playing with a backup quarterback, but Matt Moore did lead the Fish to a comeback win over the New York Jets last week once he replaced an injured Jay Cutler last Sunday.
GAME RECAP
The Dolphins started with the ball, and both teams traded punts to start the game. Sam Koch was able to pin Miami at their own 9-yard line for their second possession, which resulted in -3 yards, so they punted from their own 6-yard line. The Ravens started their next possession at the Dolphins’ 40, and on the third play of the drive, Flacco found Maclin deep down the right side for a 34-yard touchdown connection to start the scoring at 7-0.
It stayed that way into the second quarter when Justin Tucker booted field goals of 55 and 48 yards to make it 13-0 Baltimore.
The next Ravens possession is when Flacco was injured. After the penalty on Alonso, Baltimore had the ball at the Miami 5-yard line, and Mallett ended the drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Ben Watson, giving Baltimore a 20-0 lead at halftime.
The Ravens slowed things down in the second half with a big lead and a backup quarterback in the game. Collins and Javorius Allen got plenty of reps, and the Dolphins still couldn’t get anything going offensively. The third quarter ended with no further scoring.
In the third play of the fourth quarter, Moore’s pass intended for Jarvis Landry was intercepted by Mosley for his 63-yard touchdown return. After a Tyus Bowser sack on Moore to create a turnover on downs, Baltimore logged another score when Chris Moore recovered a Mallett fumble in the end zone, bringing the score to 33-0.
On the ensuing Dolphins possession, Moore’s pass intended for Kenny Stills was picked by Smith, and he brought it back for 50 yards and a score, reaching the final score of 40-0.
UP NEXT
The Ravens have a chance to get back above the .500 mark as they have 11 days to prepare for a game at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Nov. 5. Tennessee will be coming off a bye week themselves, and they won two-straight prior to the week off to sit at 4-3 on the season. The defeated Indianapolis two weeks ago behind a 306-yard passing effort from quarterback Marcus Mariota, and then last week was a 12-9 overtime win at Cleveland.
Harbaugh hopes the extra time will allow the team to string a couple of wins together, but a lot of what the Ravens are experiencing is the nature of the NFL.
“It’s a week-to-week league, it really is,” Harbaugh said. “There’s a lot of good players, and one week, the game goes one way, and another week, the game goes another. To me, it’s what makes this league crazy and interesting—and fun to watch.”
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