From a game perspective, the offensive mojo was never the same after Tyreek Hill dropped a sure touchdown that would have put the Fins ahead 14-7. On the defensive side, the mojo was lost after star cornerback Xavien Howard was lost for the game with a foot injury in the first quarter. That brought Eli Apple onto the field, and the game was never the same. With Apple on the field, the defense reverted back to what it was before Jalen Ramsey returned from injury eight games ago. Gone was the top 5 defense with Ramsey and Howard on the field. In its place was the bottom ten defense that could not make up for opposing quarterbacks attacking Eli Apple, who still cannot cover NFL wide receivers. It is a sad state of affairs. In a game that started out so well with the offense marching 75 yards for a touchdown in 8 smooth plays only to get outscored 56-12 the rest of the game and, more importantly, losing two more vital starters. I think this week’s GBU list reflects such a state of affairs. THE GOOD
- De’Von Achane. Hats off to the rookie who filled in more than admirably for Raheem Mostert. Achane ran 14 times for 107 yards good for 7.6 yards a tote. He added four receptions for another 30 yards and a touchdown.
- Kicking game. Though it hardly mattered, Jason Sanders hit both his field goals, and Jake Baily averaged 52.7 yards on his three punts.
- Let’s just skip right to the Ugly, shall we?
THE UGLY - Coach McDaniel. For the reasons explained above, the coach gets the first slot in the Ugly column. In addition to all that, the game turned on yet another poor decision. Down only 21-13, Miami had the ball and had just gained 31 yards on two plays and had the ball on the Ravens’ 44-yard line. As was the case last week against Dallas, one would think that the Fins needed to score and leave the opponent no time left on the clock. So why were they in a hurry-up mode? Why didn’t they let the clock go to the two-minute warning? Why try to hurry and run a play a second prior to that warning? Normally, you would see Tua try to draw the defense offside and let the clock go, but on this occasion, they ran a rushed play; Tua stared down his receiver and was picked off. The Ravens go right down the field, and instead of a possible 21-20 halftime game, it is 28-13, with the Ravens having all the momentum. I’m sorry, Coach Mike, you got an F this week.
- Vic Fangio and his cast of thousands. The Ravens saw something on tape. They ran the wheel route time and again against linebacker coverage, the beneficiary of which was Ravens’ running back Justice Hill, who caught 5 of them for 64 yards and a touchdown and had another 25-yarder called back. Tight end coverage? There was none. Ravens’ TE Isiah Likely literally walked into the end zone uncovered. In fact, of the Ravens’ 8, count ‘em 8, touchdowns, I think 6 of them were to wide-open uncovered receivers. All told, the defense allowed 491 yards, including 160 rushing at 5 yards a clip and 331 passing yards which resulted in a perfect QB rating for Lamar Jackson. By halftime, it had already allowed 246 yards passing and 313 total yards, and an incredible 11.6 yards per play. Unheard of. And not much better in the second half. Coach Fangio, you get an F.
- By my count, there were two sure touchdowns dropped and a dropped two-point conversion.
- Eli Apple. See above. Josh Allen is already drooling.
- After the first drive, Tua was a mere 18-32 (56%) for 176 yards and two big interceptions. What happened to that swagger and confidence after the first drive? It vanished quickly and never appeared again. He missed several open receivers and struggled with his progressions amidst pressure. The offense only managed one touchdown in the second half.
- Injuries (repeat from last week). This has become an epidemic and unfortunately, this team is not remotely close to the team that has its full complement of starters.
https://dolphinstalk.com/2023/12/ravens ... -the-ugly/
