The Baltimore Ravens delivered a dominant performance on Sunday, blowing out the Miami Dolphins by a score of 56-19. Led by likely MVP Lamar Jackson, the Ravens clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with the win.
Jackson Makes MVP Statement
Jackson was sensational, completing 21 of 29 passes for 318 yards and 3 touchdowns while adding 9 carries for 95 yards and another score on the ground. He finished with a perfect 158.3 passer rating:
His standout showing comes at a crucial time in the MVP race, with Jackson now firmly inserting himself back into the conversation alongside Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. LeBron James and other NFL stars took to Twitter to declare Jackson the MVP:
The Ravens dominated on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Dolphins by nearly 300 yards and forcing 3 turnovers while not committing any themselves.
Ravens Clinch AFC’s Top Seed
With the win, Baltimore locked up the AFC North division title and clinched the conference’s No. 1 seed and only first-round bye.
They will have home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, a massive advantage given their success at M&T Bank Stadium. Jackson is now 37-4 as a starter in the regular season at home.
The road to Super Bowl LVIII will go through Baltimore, putting the Ravens in the driver’s seat as they look to capture their first Lombardi Trophy since 2012.
| AFC Playoff Picture | |
|---|---|
| No. 1 Seed | Baltimore Ravens |
| No. 2 Seed | Kansas City Chiefs |
| No. 3 Seed | Cincinnati Bengals |
| No. 4 Seed | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| No. 5 Seed | Los Angeles Chargers |
| No. 6 Seed | Buffalo Bills |
| No. 7 Seed | Miami Dolphins |
What This Means for the Dolphins
While the Ravens celebrate, the Dolphins are left to pick up the pieces after their worst loss of the season. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa struggled mightily, throwing 3 interceptions before being replaced by backup Skylar Thompson late in the first half.
The defense had no answers for Jackson and the Baltimore offense, giving up 4 passing touchdowns and allowing över 200 rushing yards.
Head coach Mike McDaniel called it a “gut check game” and said the team would learn from this experience heading into the playoffs:
“It was a very obvious gut check, I think, for the whole team,” McDaniel said. “What’s awesome is it’s very clear the types of things that we need to work on. It was blatantly obvious where we need to improve.”
At 8-8 and losers of their last 5 games, the Dolphins limp into the postseason and will likely have to win 3 straight road games just to make the Super Bowl. They’ll face either the Bills or Bengals in the Wild Card round, depending on results from Week 18.
Either way, Miami has a steep hill to climb if they want to make playoff noise against the AFC’s elite teams. The Ravens provided them a rude awakening into just how far they still have left to go.
What’s Next
The Ravens and Dolphins wrap up their regular seasons next week before attention turns to the playoffs. Baltimore will host a Steelers team still fighting for its postseason life, while Miami travels to New England to take on the Patriots.
Expect coach John Harbaugh to rest his starters in the second half against Pittsburgh, while McDaniel will likely play his starters the whole game as the Dolphins look for momentum heading into the playoffs.
Once the dust settles from Week 18, the Ravens will prepare to host a Divisional round game at M&T Bank Stadium while the Dolphins hit the road for a tough Wild Card test against Buffalo or Cincinnati.
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