NFL
By: Joey MacDonald
The Baltimore Ravens, in week 8, got a much-needed win against the Chicago Bears by the score of 30-16. This win was done with star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who missed his 3rd consecutive game with injury. With this win, they moved to 2-5 on the season. And, now on a short week, the Ravens head down to South Beach to take on the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football.
This week’s matchup features two teams struggling but coming off wins: the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins. Both teams picked up their 2nd win of the season in week 8, and now both are gunning for 3rd win of the season in the middle of their seasons. The Ravens, who have struggled losing 4 in a row, picked up their 1st win since two against the Chicago Bears. Another team that picked up their 2nd of the season is the Miami Dolphins, another team that’s in turmoil. The Dolphins surprised many people in Week 8 by defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-10 in Atlanta. And this game could go a long way for one of these teams in terms of making the postseason come January.
The Baltimore Ravens, coming into week 9, picked up their 1st win since week 2 against Cleveland, beating the Chicago Bears 30-16. This was the 3rd straight game that quarterback Lamar Jackson missed because of a hamstring injury. But backup quarterback Tyler Huntley played a flawless game, going 17/22 for 186 passing yards and one touchdown, and Derrick Henry ran for two touchdowns. The Ravens’ defense in the last two games has allowed only 17 and 16 points, an improvement from earlier in the season, but not much. Plus, the defense has been making turnovers in the last two games, and if they can keep doing that, they can win some football games. And, heading to South Beach with the weather being nice as usual down south, the Ravens will look to continue their path toward the postseason.
On the other side is the Miami Dolphins, who have many questions about this team’s coaching and execution, particularly regarding offensive play-calling. The Dolphins have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL season through the first 8 weeks of the season. Head Coach Mike McDaniel has been on the hot seat for the last few weeks since the start of the regular season, and if things don’t turn around, then McDaniel could be looking at the unemployment line at season’s end. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, when healthy, can be a good quarterback, not a great one, but a good quarterback, especially when he has an underrated wide receiver in Jaylen Waddle. And with a challenging game and the trade deadline coming up, the Dolphins will need to think about the present and future of where this team will go down the road, given the way they’ve been playing.
The Ravens against the Chicago Bears needed that win to get their season back on track, and they did that. When looking at the next few games, the Ravens have the potential to reel off five wins in a row, but they will need to take it one game and one quarter at a time to get back into postseason contention. And this game with the Miami Dolphins has all the makings of a trap game for the Ravens. Because the Dolphins played a fabulous game against the Atlanta Falcons and the Ravens’ defense still looks a little iffy, the Dolphins have the potential to take advantage of it against the Ravens’ defense. But the one thing that Ravens will be happy about in this game is the return of quarterback Lamar Jackson, and when he’s under center, the Ravens should be the favorite going into this game. And with coming back, there might be differences in this game between Baltimore and Miami.
Prediction: Ravens 38, Dolphins 16
