There is no doubt that Sunday's game for the Miami Dolphins is their biggest game in a long time as they face the Baltimore Ravens in a crucial Week 17 matchup. The Dolphins have locked in a playoff spot, but with two games left in the season, they are trying to win the AFC East crown and possibly be the No. 1 seed for the postseason.
As mentioned, there is a lot on the line for Miami. They got their best win of the season last weekend when they finally beat a team with a winning record in the Dallas Cowboys, 22-20. However, they now have to face a Ravens team that has all the momentum after a Monday night win against the San Fransisco 49ers, the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Dolphins fans should be nervous, especially since the team will have to travel to M&T Bank Stadium to take on the Ravens as they are 4-3 on the road compared to their excellent 7-1 at home. With that being said, winning out for Miami would give them the bye week and home field advantage, so that has to be the obvious key, but beating the Ravens and the Buffalo Bills is still a tall task.
However, there's no doubt that the Dolphins have had immense success this season as they are 11-4, which is the first time since 1990 when Dan Marino was still the quarterback. With that being said, let's move on to our bold predictions for the Dolphins taking on the Ravens in Week 17:
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A potential low-scoring affair from Miami
Usually when the Dolphins have faced a winning team this season, their offense has not been explosive as it was when facing inferior teams. Just look at the matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, their first matchup against the Bills, and to some degree, even the Cowboys last weekend.
Not every game is going to be 70-point blowout performance for the Dolphins and that is exactly what happened against the Cowboys. If anything, the Dolphins showed they can win a game in a multitude of ways which another one being a gritty, physical battle going down to the wire with the offense getting the final scoring drive to win the game.
However, five field goals is not going to win you a lot of games, especially when you head into the playoffs. It definitely won't work when Miami plays Baltimore. There is a bit of concern that Baltimore stopped a well-oiled machine in the 49ers which is an offense that resembles the Dolphins due to head coach Mike McDaniel working closely with Kyle Shanahan in the past.
Dolphins offensive stars like Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert, and others need to have some of their best games of the season. But, the Ravens defense will be ready to play and take advantage of a broken down Miami offensive line. This can be a long day for the Dolphins offense, especially since Miami will probably be without Jaylen Waddle.
Miami's defense will play winning football
The Dolphins defense has been in an upward trend as of recent as they are coming off of a solid performance against the Cowboys. Now they face star Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense which for the most part, Miami will stop, but not for too long.
History has shown that across different head coaches and coordinators that the Dolphins struggle against dual-threat quarterbacks, but Jackson has shown incredible resiliency and doesn't need to run the ball solely to make a big play. The goal will be to keep the Ravens quarterback in the pocket, but he can sling the ball well which will lead to defensive backs like Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard to have an important game.
As said before, the defense will play winning football as the pass rush will get to Jackson to create some stops, but Jackson and the rest of the offense will find a rhythm and out-score Miami's offense by the end of it. Fans can already tell this will be a frustrating game to watch.
Dolphins fight back, but the Ravens will protect home-field
Fans might not want to hear this, but like the other games against winning teams, the Dolphins will come up short here. In fact, it could be the opposite to last weekend's game as the Ravens will score to take the lead late in the game and it will be up to Tagovailoa and company to win the game.
While the Miami offense went down the field and scored the game-winning field goal, their luck will be different this time. The Ravens will bring the pressure and sink the Dolphins.
Even with the loss, the Dolphins still have a shot to win the AFC East with a win against the Bills in the last week of the regular season. But, their chances of being the No. 1 seed could be kissed goodbye by the time Sunday afternoon comes.
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