Is it just me, or do these Thursday Night Football games get worse and worse every week? We didn’t expect there to be fireworks in this one, especially since Miami came into the game 2-7 and starting a backup quarterback against the 6-2 AFC North leading Ravens. This game was a defensive battle for three quarters with the most exciting play of the game being an offensive lineman touchdown that didn’t count. At the end of the night, the Dolphins surprised everybody by holding the Ravens in check and pulling out a 22-10 upset win.
The first half of this game was a snooze fest. The only scoring before halftime was 3 field goals and the kickers and punters were the stars of the show. Justin Tucker started the scoring with a Baltimore field goal and then missed another before Jason Sanders hit 2 of his own to give the Dolphins a 6-3 lead at the half. Sanders also got the first points of the second half, hitting his 3rd field goal early in the 4th quarter.
The first trip to the endzone was early in the 4th quarter and it was the most exciting play of the game. Dolphins’ offensive lineman Robert Hunt caught a pass at around the 10-yard line, made a nice jump cut and rumbled towards the endzone. He was chopped down by defenders before the goal line but flipped over and reached the ball out to cross the goal line. It was an extremely impressive effort for the 6’6, 327 offensive guard, but unfortunately, he was an ineligible receiver so the touchdown would not count. It didn’t count, but we won’t forget!
The first actual touchdown came from the defense with Xavien Howard scooping a fumble up near midfield in the 4th quarter and returning it to the endzone to give Miami a 15-3 lead with about 11 minutes to play. The Ravens tried to come back and got a Mark Andrews touchdown with about 4 minutes left to narrow the margin to 15-10. The defense couldn’t hold and Tua Tagovailoa found the end zone himself right before the 2-minute warning to give the Dolphins the 22-10 lead that would hold as a final.
Tua came in this game in the 3rd quarter in relief of Jacoby Brissett. Brissett started this game as Tua was still recovering for a fracture in a finger on his throwing hand and was only active as a backup. Brissett went down with a knee injury in the 3rd and Miami turned to Tua who was able to play through his injury and lead Miami to the win. Before his exit, Brissett was 11 for 23 for 156 yards and was constantly missing receivers. Tua came in and went 8 for 13 for 158 yards and ran in the game-sealing touchdown on the ground as well.
On the other side, Lamar Jackson was pressured all night. The Miami defense was constantly in his face, and he didn’t have time to find open receivers. He was sacked 4 times and finished the night 26 of 43 with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He added only 39 additional yards on the ground on 9 runs, much less than he usually does with his legs.
There wasn’t much production on the ground from either team in this one. Myles Gaskin led the Dolphins with 14 carries for 31 yards. Devonta Freeman led the Ravens with 10 carries for 35 yards. Maybe the Dolphins should try Robert Hunt at running back next week!
Mark Andrews caught the game’s only passing touchdown and had 6 receptions for 63 yards. His 6 receptions tied for the team lead with Marquise Brown (6 for 37) and Rashod Bateman (6 for 80). Sammy Watkins made his return but only caught 1 pass on 3 targets and had a costly fumble. It will be interesting to see if Baltimore allows the impressive rookie Bateman take a larger role than the veteran Watkins.
The Dolphins’ passing game was led by Albert Wilson who caught 4 passes for 87 yards and Isaiah Ford who caught 4 passes for 84 yards. Ford had a 52-yard completion in the 2nd quarter in busted coverage and Wilson had another busted coverage play go for a 64-yard catch and run in the 4th. Jaylen Waddle led the team in targets with 6 and turned them into 4 catches for 61 yards.
Other Notes:
Mike Gesicki was notably shut down in this game. He was targeted 7 times but did not have a reception.
Adam Shaheen had 4 targets and caught 3 passes for 34 yards. He is a big-bodied tight end who Miami seems to like when they need a big catch.
Miami’s defense was impressive, sacking Jackson 4 times, causing 2 fumbles and an interception. They shut down the run game and had Baltimore out of sorts all night.
That will do it for the week 10 Thursday Night Football Wrap Up. Make sure you head over to Razzball.com and check out Rudy Gamble’s Pigskinator as you get ready to set the rest of your week 9 lineup. You are always invited to follow me on Twitter @FantasyCoachJB and ask me any questions you may have. Good luck in your upcoming matchups!
