Baltimore Ravens (2-2) at Miami Dolphins (3-1)
Sunday, 10/06/13, 1:00 PM - Sun Life Stadium (75,540)
TV: WJZ-TV
TV Crew: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Rich Gannon (analyst)
Radio: 98 Rock | WBAL-1090 AM | Sports USA | Sirius: 128 | XM: 226
Local Radio Crew: Gerry Sandusky (play-by-play), Stan White (analyst), Qadry Ismail (analyst)
National Radio Crew: Chris Carrino (play-by-play), Brian Baldinger (analyst)
Ravens Jersey Color: Purple
Referee Crew: Carl Cheffers
TV Coverage: View Map
The Ravens are coming off a frustrating loss in Buffalo, and now must face one of the NFL's upstart teams.
The Dolphins are 3-1 this season with wins over Cleveland, Indianapolis and Atlanta. They didn't suffer their first loss until Monday night in New Orleans.
Quarterback Joe Flacco is looking to rebound from a five-interception game against the Bills, and history suggests he will. After throwing three or more interceptions in a game, Flacco is 3-0 the next week with a 123.9 passer rating, according to ESPN Stats and Information.
The Ravens are looking for their first road win of the season in Miami.
Matchups To Watch
CB Jimmy Smith vs. WR Mike WallaceWallace is Miami's high-priced speedster, and the Ravens are very familiar with him from Wallace's his days in Pittsburgh. Baltimore has held him to just one touchdown in nine meetings, but Wallace can still put up big numbers at any time. Smith has done well not getting beaten by double moves and the deep ball so far this season.* *
LT Bryant McKinnie or Eugene Monroe vs. DE Cameron WakeIt's unknown whether the newly-acquired Monroe will be able to play in his first week as a Raven. He still has a lot of learning to do. If it's McKinnie, the Ravens will still have a quality pass blocker against the pass-[hyphen]rushing Wake. Wake has 2.5 sacks this year after logging 15 last season.* *
RB Ray Rice vs. LB Dannell Ellerbe
Baltimore badly wants to get their run game going. Rice had just five carries for 17 yards last week and didn't record a single reception. Head Coach John Harbaugh said it's important to get him the ball more, either in run or pass situations. Former Ravens linebacker Dannell Ellerbe will be waiting to stop him. The former Raven has evolved into an even better all-around linebacker in Miami.
Keys To The Game
Establish the run game
This has been a key the past couple of [add] weeks and has yet to be accomplished. It's tough to win on the road if you can't run the ball. It's part of the reason why the Ravens are 0-2 away from M&T Bank Stadium this season. The Ravens offensive line has stressed being more physical and faster off the ball this week.* *
Make Tannehill turn it overDolphins second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill has looked good at times, but his Achilles heel has been turnovers. He's fumbled an NFL-high six times this season (lost three) and thrown five interceptions. Pressure from Terrell Suggs or Elvis Dumervil could lead to a sack/strip.* *
Take care of the ball
The Ravens learned their lesson that it's almost impossible to win on the road if you're turning the ball over. Five interceptions last week from Joe Flacco was too many to come back and beat the Buffalo Bills. Flacco had gone the previous two games (both wins) without any picks. The Ravens must protect the ball, even if it means punting the ball away and letting their defense take over.
