The Baltimore Ravens finally looked like the team everyone expected them to be with a dominant 28-6 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 9. The game marked Lamar Jackson's return from a two-game absence, and it was everything head coach John Harbaugh expected it to be and more.
Jackson and the Ravens offense got off to somewhat of a slow start early, potentially due to a bout of ring rust. That never worried Harbaugh, who was confident that Jackson would get his feet under him quickly after seeing him practice earlier in the week.
“He was that sharp mentally all week, and he was that sharp on Tuesday when we went fast,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN's Jamison Hensley. “After practice, we went fast on Tuesday, and he was lights out. He was impressive. I was pretty optimistic that he was going to play well.”
John Harbaugh said he knew there would be no rust with Lamar Jackson because he was “lights out” at Tuesday’s practice pic.twitter.com/kx8DUc4Dtq
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 31, 2025
Jackson admitted to being a bit rusty after the game. The 28-year-old said he felt it early after missing wideout Rashod Bateman on a routine throw in the first quarter that annoyed him, but just “felt great” to return and “get the dub,” via Jeff Zrebiec of ‘The Athletic.'
Baltimore got off to a slow start offensively and entered halftime with fewer than 100 scrimmage yards. Jackson turned up the pressure in the second half to pull away from the reeling Dolphins.
Lamar Jackson leads Ravens to big win over Dolphins
The Ravens were so dominant in the second half that Dolphins fans began booing and leaving the stadium in the third quarter. Miami's offense was never able to increase its level to match that of Baltimore after halftime, resulting in yet another disappointing loss.
After Jackson's brief first-half struggles, he was in cruise control for the rest of the game. The two-time MVP ended with 204 passing yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions, while adding 14 rushing yards on five carries.
Tua Tagovailoa, meanwhile, struggled to keep his head above water all game. The southpaw threw for 261 passing yards but failed to reach the end zone while adding yet another interception. He now has a league-high 11 interceptions on the year, one more than Geno Smith.
Although the Ravens entered the game as the favorite, the teams were essentially on even ground. Both entered Week 9 off statement-making victories in Week 8 that snapped lengthy losing streaks.
