Dolphins miss out on top seed in blowout loss to Ravens, setting up must-win game vs. Bills

For all the talk of last year’s thrilling comeback win in Baltimore, the Dolphins were adamant that Sunday’s matchup, back at M&T Bank Stadium, marked a new year with different teams that had grown since that moment.

However, the half-time deficit that Miami faced — 15 — was just one point greater than the one they overcame in Week 2 of the 2022 season. And the Dolphins again faced a three-score deficit entering the fourth quarter.

But the late-game heroics that guided the Dolphins to the second-largest comeback in franchise history wouldn’t return this time, though, as Miami was dealt a 56-19 loss that eliminated the team from contention for the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

The defeat also sets up a must-win game in Week 18 for the Dolphins (11-5), who will host the Bills (10-6) for the AFC East title after Buffalo defeated the New England Patriots, 27-21, to come within one game of the division lead.

The NFL on Sunday announced Miami will host Buffalo on “Sunday Night Football” in the final game of the regular season.

A victory in the regular-season finale would give the Dolphins the division crown and the conference’s No. 2 seed with a first-round playoff game at home. A loss would drop Miami to the sixth seed and send the team on the road for the wild-card round.

On the opening possession of the game, Miami looked ready for a road test against a team viewed by many as the class of not only the AFC but the NFL. The Dolphins quickly worked their way downfield on an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr.

But the Ravens responded with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, as quarterback Lamar Jackson found running back Justice Hill for a 20-yard score to tie the game to 7.

Miami was back in the red zone on its ensuing drive, but wide receiver Tyreek Hill dropped a third-down pass in the end zone after finding a crease in Baltimore’s defense. The Dolphins settled for a field goal and the 10-7 lead marked the last time the team would have the advantage.

From that point, the Ravens outscored the Dolphins, 49-9. The 56 points given up are the most the Dolphins have allowed in a game since Week 17 of the 2020 season when Miami lost 56-26 to the Bills.

“I think we came into this game with high hopes of playing the standard that we wanted to play,” said Tagovailoa, who completed 22 of 38 passes for 237 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions but also injured his shoulder late in the fourth quarter. “And when those standards aren’t met, it feels like it’s very disappointing. So, I would say in the locker room, that’s sort of the feel. You’ve got a lot of leaders, and a lot of the guys stepping up to get our guys going for next week and the games to follow. We’ve still got a lot of football left to play.”

Jackson, a Pompano Beach native and Boynton Beach alumnus, accounted for 356 yards, threw five touchdowns and had a perfect passer rating in a performance that likely sealed his second league Most Valuable Player award.

Any hope of a second-half comeback quickly went away when Miami, trailing 28-13, allowed a 78-yard kickoff return to begin the second half, which was quickly turned into a touchdown pass from Jackson to tight end Isaiah Likely. Miami got a takeaway after defensive lineman Zach Sieler, a former Raven, stripped running back Gus Edwards and safety Jevon Holland recovered near midfield. But Tagoaviloa threw an interception, his second of the game, to safety Geno Stone on the next play.

The Dolphins trailed 35-13 at the beginning of the fourth quarter and made it a two-possession game after Tagovailoa’s 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back De’Von Achane.

But Miami’s defense had no answers for Jackson and Baltimore’s offense. The Ravens worked back down the field and Jackson threw his fifth touchdown pass of the afternoon, giving Baltimore a 42-19 lead.

“They had a good game plan and for their players, that are pretty good, in space,” McDaniel said. “I’m confident saying before watching the film, we’re not going to be happy with the way we tackled in open space. We have to get down to the bottom of that. I’m very confident that we will.”

The Dolphins’ offense, which entered Week 17 as the league’s top-scoring offense, struggled to sustain drives against a Ravens defense that leads the NFL in points allowed per game. After Miami’s first two drives, the offense crossed over into the Ravens’ territory on three of nine possessions and reached the red zone twice (excluding the final end-of-game series).

The Dolphins gashed Baltimore’s defense early with big gains from Achane (137 total yards) and a healthy dose of screen passes. But Miami couldn’t get much downfield against a secondary that was effectively down three starters after cornerback Marlon Humphrey injured his calf in the first half and did not return.

“Going against that defense, I thought it was productive enough, if you don’t turn the ball over, and if you’re playing all three phases cleanly,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “I thought the offense was doing its part. Once the turnovers came, they became a part of the problem, not the solution.”

As much as the Week 17 matchup was a clash of two of the best teams in the AFC, it was also a battle of attrition for squads who entered the game with multiple key contributors out because of injury and saw more starters go down.

Miami was playing without wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (high ankle sprain), running back Raheem Mostert (ankle/knee) and right guard Robert Hunt (hamstring). While Tagovailoa said his shoulder was fine, the team watched cornerback Xavien Howard carted to the locker room after sustaining a foot injury on Baltimore’s opening possession. Then, with three minutes left in the game, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb sustained a knee injury that also required him to be carted to the team’s locker room.

According to reports, there is concern that Chubb tore his ACL. McDaniel said the team would gather more information on the severity of the injuries on Monday.

While the Ravens, who clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed, were able to overcome their injuries in a dominant win, the Dolphins struggled to mask theirs — and saw them exploited.

The state of the Dolphins’ injuries only exacerbated the need for Miami to get a critical road win and take one more step toward the conference’s No. 1 seed, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage.

For Tagovailoa and McDaniel, perspective was key for them after a disappointing loss. They remained steadfast that they had the team to achieve their goals, beginning with winning a pivotal regular-season finale against a divisional rival.

“We’re right where we need to be as a team, regardless of the outcome of today,” Tagovailoa said, “and we’ll be better for it, and hopefully we’ll get to see these guys again.”

McDaniel noted that “everyone would have accepted” playing for the division crown in the aftermath of the Dolphins’ 48-20 loss to the Bills in Week 4.

The Dolphins’ reality is hard to fathom though for a team that held a three-game division lead with five games remaining in the regular season.

Sunday’s blowout loss was another shortcoming for a group that had been confident the failures from earlier in the season had made them a more calloused team. They were more sure about that after a last-second home victory against the Dallas Cowboys seven days prior, a win that was their first against a team with a winning record and clinched a playoff berth.

This all culminated in a Week 17 matchup that offered an opportunity for a statement road victory, a division title and the inside track to the conference’s No. 1 seed.

Instead, the Dolphins enter the final game of the regular season with more questions and injury concerns that could derail them even once the postseason starts.