diamondbull424 Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 (edited) Short week the Ravens return home for a game to decide who could be the #1 seed in the AFC. With plenty of players nursing injuries, the bye week could be critical. Yet the Dolphins equally are banged up with a backup center, missing their #2 WR in Waddle with a high ankle sprain, a banged up MVP candidate in Tyreek Hill, a concussion protocol Robbie “Chosen” Anderson, and Raheem Mostert nursing an ankle. Both of these teams could use the bye week for a little rest and relaxation. However the tables have turned. The Dolphins are coming into this week feeling disrespected. Their “huge” win over the Cowboys has largely been ignored by the mainstream media and thus they’re feeling like they’re the underdogs. Yet the line stands at only 3.5 points. Miami is 4-3 on the road, with their three road games against playoff teams (Bills, Eagles, Chiefs) coming by an average of 16.33 pts/game… yet Jalen Ramsey hadn’t returned until the week before playing the Chiefs. Since his return the Dolphins have had the “best defense in the NFL” though in that stretch they’ve also played against 6 non-playoff teams that include the Jets x2, Commanders, Patriots, Raiders, and Titans… offenses you’re not likely to write home about. For the Ravens this game is about completing the mission, for the Dolphins it’s about solidifying their identity and earning respect. You can only play who’s on your schedule, but are they paper warriors or absolutely for real? All answers to be provided come Sunday sometime between 1 and 415pm EST. This week’s preview brought to you by The Vault. Edited December 29, 2023 by diamondbull424 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Reed Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 (edited) Reading the tea leaves it feels like Hamilton may not play this week. Hope i’m wrong. We’re night and day with and without him. https://x.com/danieloyefusi/status/1740455290531991694?s=46&t=SprE75WdSC7qWxfglyncGw Also looks like Zay potentially out Edit: why don’t tweets automatically embed anymore when I post them on mobile? Edited December 29, 2023 by Ray Reed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFlaccoSeagulls Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 I'm torn on Zay and Hamilton. On one hand, this is a very important game to keep pace with Cleveland and potentially lock up the #1 seed and rest people next week. On the other hand, I think(?) the same exact scenarios will exist next week if we lose, so maybe this week is the week to rest them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Reed Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 I’m lowkey worried about our run game outside of Lamar. Since Mitchell has gone down, the RBs haven’t gotten much at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusMcFife Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 4 hours ago, AFlaccoSeagulls said: I'm torn on Zay and Hamilton. On one hand, this is a very important game to keep pace with Cleveland and potentially lock up the #1 seed and rest people next week. On the other hand, I think(?) the same exact scenarios will exist next week if we lose, so maybe this week is the week to rest them? Not sure what you are talking about. If Miami beats us and the Bills next week, they are no. 1 seed. H2H tiebreaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondbull424 Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 2 hours ago, AngusMcFife said: Not sure what you are talking about. If Miami beats us and the Bills next week, they are no. 1 seed. H2H tiebreaker. I think he’s saying that we would still be playing for the 1 seed against the Steelers in week 18 with a loss. We wouldn’t be resting starters in such a game especially with the Bills potentially playing for their playoff lives and looking to beat the Dolphins. So while we wouldn’t control our destiny, the 1 seed would still be in play the final week with a loss here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusMcFife Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 9 minutes ago, diamondbull424 said: I think he’s saying that we would still be playing for the 1 seed against the Steelers in week 18 with a loss. We wouldn’t be resting starters in such a game especially with the Bills potentially playing for their playoff lives and looking to beat the Dolphins. So while we wouldn’t control our destiny, the 1 seed would still be in play the final week with a loss here. The best way of healing our injured players would be to win vs. the Dolphins, that would give them 3 weeks off with sitting out of Steelers game and then the bye. If we rest for Dolphins, then we'd play likely play week 18, wild card weekend, divisional round, and championship round with 0 extra rest. Having those 3 weeks would be terrific for Hamilton, but also we'd get Stanley as healthy as he could possibly be for the playoffs. I see huge upside in winning vs the Dolphins, I think strategically "throwing the game" (by resting players with injuries who can play) for the sake of health doesn't actually make sense, long term. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Reed Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 Not enough people are talking about the Dolphins defense in this matchup. That unit has been playing unbelievable since Ramsey came back. They’re dangerous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusMcFife Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 38 minutes ago, Ray Reed said: Not enough people are talking about the Dolphins defense in this matchup. That unit has been playing unbelievable since Ramsey came back. They’re dangerous QBs they've played recently: Aiden O'Connell Tim Boyle Sam Howell Will Levis (lit them up for 28 and a L) Zach Wilson/Siemian Dak That's a whole lot of tomato cans, aside from Dak, who had a 108 QB rating vs the Dolphins. IMO Ramsey and Howard seem like they are slow CBs. Physical, but neither can stay close to Flowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondbull424 Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 On 12/29/2023 at 7:26 PM, AngusMcFife said: The best way of healing our injured players would be to win vs. the Dolphins, that would give them 3 weeks off with sitting out of Steelers game and then the bye. If we rest for Dolphins, then we'd play likely play week 18, wild card weekend, divisional round, and championship round with 0 extra rest. Having those 3 weeks would be terrific for Hamilton, but also we'd get Stanley as healthy as he could possibly be for the playoffs. I see huge upside in winning vs the Dolphins, I think strategically "throwing the game" (by resting players with injuries who can play) for the sake of health doesn't actually make sense, long term. Who has proposed “throwing the game” and resting players with injuries who can play? The indecision was around guys who are questionable but would be incredibly valuable to a playoff run. I’m unsure of the Flowers injury, but I’d agree that if he’s not down too bad, he should play. But Hamilton has already reaggravated an injury and the worst case scenario of him playing could be a far worse knee injury. So it’s definitely a scenario that’s worth contemplating. Ideally we would’ve gotten those guys out of the game last week prior to their injuries because we could really use them against the Dolphins, but just because they can play doesn’t mean it’s a good idea when weighing the risks. On another note. Week 17 Hype Video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondbull424 Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 Personally I get the sense that this game will result in a two score victory for one of these squads. I’d like to think we win this game, however Miami is too much of an unknown. They’ve played great defense but against nobody QBs, so it’s tough to know if they’re just a product of their soft schedule defensively, if they’re truly a great defense, or if the answer is somewhere in between, then they could shock us. Though if it’s the former, I think we can win this by a healthy margin. The most important thing though is to come out of this game healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavensfanRD Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 6 hours ago, diamondbull424 said: Personally I get the sense that this game will result in a two score victory for one of these squads. I’d like to think we win this game, however Miami is too much of an unknown. They’ve played great defense but against nobody QBs, so it’s tough to know if they’re just a product of their soft schedule defensively, if they’re truly a great defense, or if the answer is somewhere in between, then they could shock us. Though if it’s the former, I think we can win this by a healthy margin. The most important thing though is to come out of this game healthy. After what I saw in San Fran, until I actually see an L from the Ravens, I just don't got it happening. I feel the boys should have some pent up aggression from the last two L's taken from Miami in '21 and '22. I'm feeling good today. The Ravens know what's at stake today. Let's go! Ravens 34 - Miami 20 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavensfanRD Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 Nope. Don't like this one bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 High effort play by Marcus Williams there. 🙄 Hamilton is already missed dearly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusMcFife Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 They are slicing through our D like butter, just like last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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