Baltimore vs. Miami
Ravens Get Much-Needed First Win on the Road in 23-20 Victory at Miami on Late Tucker Field Goal
After a disappointing loss at Buffalo last week, the Baltimore Ravens were desperate for a win on the road in Miami and also were looking to avoid dropping to below .500 on the young season.
After squandering a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, Justin Tucker kicked a 44-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining, and Elvis Dumervil recorded a key sack on Dolphins (3-2) quarterback Ryan Tannehill to force Caleb Sturgis into a 57-yard attempt, which he missed with 33 seconds to go, preserving the Ravens’ (3-2) hard-fought 26-23 victory.
“We had good coverage, and I was able to make the play,” Dumervil said of his sack, which was the sixth of the game for Baltimore’s defense.
That forced the long attempt by the rookie Sturgis, who missed for the first time in his young career.
“I wanted to make sure it got it there,” Strugis explained. “Unfortunately, I hooked it pretty good.”
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Offensively, the running game ruled the day, as Ray Rice ran for 74 yards and two scores (along with six catches for 28 yards), and Bernard Pierce added 46 yards on the ground. Torrey Smith led the team in receiving yards with 121 on six catches, and Tandon Doss had three grabs for 58 yards.
Joe Flacco was 19-of-32 for 269 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Not his greatest effort, but far better than his career-worst five interceptions last week in Buffalo.
"Joe never gets fazed," head coach John Harbaugh said. "He's not going to get rattled."
Flacco’s interception was a costly one. After a Sturgis field goal brought Miami to within seven points at 23-16, Reshad Jones picked off Flacco at the Baltimore 25 and returned it for the game-tying score.
“Stuff happens,” Flacco said about the pick-six. “You get mad at yourself for a couple of seconds; then you go to the sideline to regroup.”
In addition to leading scoring drives of 80, 73, and 94 yards earlier in the second half, Flacco shook off the interception to lead Baltimore back down the field on more time, setting up Tucker’s field goal that turned into the game-winner.
There was an uncharacteristic roar from the crowd in South Florida, as an estimated 10,000 Ravens fans were in attendance, which provided quite the emotional boost for the team.
“When we came out for pre-game, it might have been 10-to-1 Ravens fans,” Harbaugh recalled. “And then, of course, the Dolphins fans filled in. We came out for kickoff, and we were introduced, and we came running out there, and it was a loud cheer. You expect to get the boos, and we heard the boos, too. But that was heartening. It was emotional. We've got amazing fans."
In addition to Dumervil’s key sack, Terrell Suggs had himself a day on defense, recording three sacks on Tannehill, all of which came in the fourth quarter.
“My wife told me, `Bring mama home three sacks,’” Suggs said. "It came down the stretch, and it was time to get going."
The win kept the Ravens into a three-way tie atop the AFC North, even with Cleveland and Cincinnati at 3-2. The Browns topped Buffalo and the Bengals logged an impressive 13-6 win over New England. Pittsburgh, who is surprisingly 0-4 so far this season, had an early bye week.
GAME RECAP
Baltimore’s defense took the field first and recorded their first big stop of the day by stopping Lamar Miller on a 3rd and 1, forcing a Dolphins punt. Flacco connected with Smith for a 41-yard reception during the ensuing drive, which helped lead to a 42-yard field goal from Tucker to open the scoring at 3-0 Baltimore.
The teams traded punts until Rice fumbled in Dolphins territory late in the first quarter, but the defense was able to limit the damage by holding Miami to a field goal, which tied the game at 3 after the first 15 minutes of play.
The two teams traded field goals to begin the second quarter, as Tucker drilled a 50-yarder and Sturgis responded with a 25-yard field goal after the Ravens were able to stop Miami on 3rd and 3 from the 6-yard line.
Miami finally broke through into the end zone toward the end of the half, as Tannehill connected with Charles Clay from nine yards out with 50 seconds remaining before halftime to make it 13-6 Miami at the break.
Flacco’s big scoring drives started with the opening one of the third quarter, as the Ravens went 80 yards in just eight plays and less than three minutes of game clock. Aided by two defensive pass interference calls, the Ravens scored on a two-yard touchdown run by Rice to tie the game at 13.
After a Dolphins punt, the Ravens took over again at their 20-yard line, and Flacco again drove them down the field, but this drive ended in a field goal by Tucker, giving the Ravens a 16-13 lead.
Miami punted yet again on their next drive, but a solid Brandon Fields punt backed the Ravens up at their own 6-yard line. Pierce, however, went for 28 yards on the first play of the drive, and Flacco marched Baltimore downfield yet again with Rice punching it in from three yards out to go ahead 23-13 early in the fourth quarter.
After a Sturgis field goal to bring it to 23-16, Flacco threw the pick-six that tied the game.
Tucker’s 44-yard field goal provided the winning points with 1:46 remaining, and then the Dolphins’ final chance ended with Sturgis’s miss on the 57-yard attempt that would’ve likely sent the game into overtime.
UP NEXT
The Ravens welcome in a tough test to M&T Bank Stadium next Sunday, as the Green Bay Packers represent the first game for the Ravens against an NFC team this season. The Packers are 2-2 and will have an extra week to prepare for Baltimore, as they had a bye in Week 4.