Ravens can clinch the AFC’s top seed if they beat Miami; both teams are coming off impressive wins
MIAMI (11-4) at BALTIMORE (12-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: Ravens by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Dolphins 10-5; Ravens 10-5.
SERIES RECORD: Ravens lead 10-8.
LAST MEETING: Dolphins beat Ravens 42-38 on Sept. 18, 2022, in Baltimore.
LAST WEEK: Dolphins beat Cowboys 22-20; Ravens beat 49ers 33-19.
DOLPHINS OFFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (5), PASS (1), SCORING (1).
DOLPHINS DEFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (5), PASS (10), SCORING (13).
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (1), PASS (21), SCORING (4).
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (12), PASS (6), SCORING (1).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Dolphins plus-3; Ravens plus-10.
DOLPHINS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Tua Tagovailoa threw for 293 yards last week against the Cowboys, which put him at more than 4,000 in a season for the first time in his career. The previous time he played Baltimore, Tagovailoa threw for a career-high 469 yards and six touchdowns.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: Standout CB Marlon Humphrey has battled through foot and calf injuries this season, and now he’ll be up against the potent Miami passing game. This is Humphrey’s 100th career game.
KEY MATCHUP: Miami’s defensive front vs. the Baltimore running game. The Ravens scored on seven consecutive possessions against a tough San Francisco defense. Baltimore’s physicality — and QB Lamar Jackson’s mobility — will be a big test for a Miami defense that’s shown plenty of good signs of late.
KEY INJURIES: WR Jaylen Waddle has a high ankle sprain, but Miami coach Mike McDaniel has not ruled him out. Waddle did not practice Wednesday along with RB Raheem Mostert (knee/ankle), WR Tyreek Hill (ankle), RB De’Von Achane (toe), LT Terron Armstead (knee/ankle/ back) and RG Rob Hunt (hamstring). … WR Robbie Chosen was still in the concussion protocol on Wednesday. … Tagovailoa (left thumb, quad) has been limited in practice. … Dolphins S Jevon Holland remains limited with injuries to both knees. He has missed the past four games. … Baltimore S Kyle Hamilton has been terrific this season and had two interceptions against the 49ers, but he’s also been dealing with knee problems and missed some practice this week. … Ravens WR Zay Flowers (calf) missed practice time as well this week.
SERIES NOTES: Miami beat Baltimore each of the past two seasons. The Dolphins rallied from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit in last season’s meeting.
STATS AND STUFF: Miami clinched a playoff berth with last week’s 22-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys. It’s the first time that Miami has made the playoffs in consecutive seasons since making five straight trips to the postseason from 1997-2001. … A win on Sunday would clinch the AFC East for the Dolphins for the first time since 2008 and give the team a 12-win season for the first time since 1990. … Tagovailoa’s 105.4 passer rating is the second best in the NFL. … Hill has an NFL-best 1,641 yards receiving, 12 touchdowns and 106 receptions. He needs 324 yards — 162 per game — to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving record of 1,964 set in 2012. … Waddle had a 50-yard catch against the Cowboys to put him at 1,014 yards receiving for the season. He’s the first Dolphins player to have three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He’s the ninth player in NFL history to begin a career with three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. … Mostert topped 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his nine-year career. … Since Week 5, Miami’s defense leads the NFL with 93 quarterback hits, 42 sacks and just 15.3 points allowed per game. … The Dolphins have a franchise-best 52 sacks this season, which is the second most in the NFL. They have at least one sack in every game. … Jason Sanders made a career-long 57-yard field goal against the Cowboys and had three kicks from 50-plus yards in the game. … The Ravens would clinch the top seed in the AFC with a win this weekend. … Hamilton has four interceptions and 10 tackles for loss, the first player to reach both those marks in a season since Tyrann Mathieu in 2015. … Baltimore has rushed for at least 100 yards in 31 straight games and has at least one sack in 36 in a row. Both are the longest active streaks in the league. … Flowers needs 90 yards receiving to break the franchise’s rookie record of 841 set by Torrey Smith. … Jackson shares an NFL record with Michael Vick with two 800-yard rushing seasons at quarterback. He’s 14 yards away from a third.
FANTASY TIP: Gus Edwards has been a productive short-yardage back for the Ravens. He has 12 rushing touchdowns this season, which ranks fourth in the league.
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AP NFL:
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