Gallantly they trotted on into the sweltering heat of the South Florida afternoon. Two teams getting ready to engage in a contest of will, power, and strategy. Increasing humidity levels were filtering through the sawgrass and into the air from the nearby swamps are incredibly relentless and punishing to warm blooded life forms. Taking the field, the outsiders from the more northern latitudes of I-95, coming in to steal any playoff hopes away from the post season starved Miami Dolphins, the Baltimore Ravens, winners of super bowls past, aging, hobbled, with their sights still set on a playoff berth. The Miami Dolphins defiantly, also awaited the start of the game, young but aching, ever so eagerly hoping to reach the post season, defending their turf, waiting to settle old scores. The stakes were high for both teams, since this was being viewed as a virtual elimination game for the loser. Now the time for evaluations, analysis, reports, and opinions was over, the time had come for the game to be played, and the game was on.
The Ravens offense had the first shot, but after three plays, they failed to get a first down and had to punt. Miami, behind the running of Lamar Miller, had an easier time on offense and drove down the field, and after the drive stalled just outside the red zone, the Dolphins took the lead with a field goal by Caleb Sturgis. The score was 3-0 still in the first quarter. The Ravens' next possession seemed to yield no better results than their previous one, again going three and out. Miami went back on offense and took advantage of an aggressive and sometimes over pursuing Raven defense, handing off the ball to Miller in delays and traps which enabled the Dolphins' running back to get chunks of yardage at a time. Finally, with 1:41 left in the first quarter, Dolphins' quarterback Ryan Tannehill found Brian Hartline in the end zone for Miami's first touchdown of the day, which, because of the way events would unfold, would also be their last. The Dolphins, following the touchdown, seemed as if they were about to run away with this game as they went up by a score of 10–0.
The Ravens, who throughout the first quarter had failed to get a first down, finally got their first in the second quarter and managed to put a nice drive together of their own, but that drive came to an abrupt end, when Raven' quarterback Joe Flacco was intercepted in the end zone by the newest member of the Dolphins, RJ Stanford. It was starting to look bad for the Ravens at that point as the game progressed into the last moments of the the first half, but when Baltimore went back on offense, following a scoreless drive by Miami, they again drove down the field, and this time, with 0:08 left in the 2nd quarter, a TD pass from Flacco to Steve Smith put the Ravens on the scoreboard for the first time in the game, as the half ended with Miami still leading Baltimore 10-7. Who would make the necessary adjustments at halftime? Would the Ravens fold in the increasing heat and humidity of a rather unseasonably warm late Fall afternoon in Miami? The rest of the story was still to come, playoff hopes for both teams hanging in the balance.
The second half began with Miami on offense, attempting to put a drive together that would give them some separation between the two teams and exhaust the Ravens' defense in the process. What happened next and what would transpire for the remaining two quarters, would shock and awe the enthusiastic fans gathered at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins offense appeared to not be able to get a first down on that first drive of the second half, without having to cover up to 20 yards on 3rd down, which ended that first drive after getting only one. What happened next, was a systematic dismantling of the Dolphins defensive strategy by the adjustments the Ravens made during the break, as they seemed to move down the field at will and score time and time again. The Dolphins could just manage another field goal in the game.
Baltimore Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh, had expressed concerns before the game, citing that Miami would be able to break out from their short yardage passing game normal and exploit the Ravens struggling secondary, but the play caller for Miami appeared determined to prove him wrong, because although Tannehill had completed a 31 yard pass, which was called back because of a penalty, they refused to allow the Miami signal caller to go deeper down field than the usual 10 to 20 yard pass. This deficiency, along with plays that called for Tannehill to repeatedly stand in the pocket, eventually sealed Miami's fate, saw Tannehill sacked time after time, and all but shut down the door on the Dolphins' postseason hopes, as the Ravens seized the opportunity, and brought their safeties in closer, taking away Miami's run threat along with the all too familiar crossing, go stops, hooks, shallow slants and other routes that have been Miami's bread and butter plays during their a run at the post season.
Now, as the season winds down, the very jobs of some of Miami's coaching staff are in question, while the shot at the division and the playoffs for Baltimore, appears to be again a reality. On a warm and humid Sunday afternoon, Dolphin fans sulked in bitter disappointment as they saw their team fall to the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 28-13.