Four Keys to Ravens Victory vs. Dolphins

Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr spent the bye week in the lab concocting ways to manufacture pressure after losing sack leader Tavius Robinson to a broken foot. He was able to force a couple of key intentional groundings and other pressures as a result of some of his aggressive and creative methods, which included multiple simulated pressure looks.

However, unlike Caleb Williams of the Bears, Tua Tagovailoa of the Dolphins rarely holds onto the ball in an effort to extend plays, and his head coach and play-caller, Mike McDaniel, dials up screens at one of the highest clips in the league.

In order to ensure they don't get gashed when while trying to bring the heat or are at least acting like they are, Orr will to have to be a little more judicious about when and how he calls those pressures. Screens are one of the most common ways to mitigate or sometimes even take advantage of an opposing defense's over-aggressiveness or flat-put desperation when it comes to trying to get to and rattle the quarterback.

If the Ravens' four-man rush steps up, they might not have manufactured as much pressure, but Miami is likely going to hammer screens regardless, so being able to make open-field tackles and limit yards after catch will be paramount.

Break Dolphins' will with rushing attack

In football, two things that almost always travel well are a potent rushing attack and a good defense. The jury is still out on whether the Ravens defense can consistently perform at an elite level; while they have shown promise over the last two games, more evidence is needed before they can be considered among the league's best.

However, there's no denying the punishing and explosive potential of their ground game now that both Jackson and five-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard are rejoining future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry.

Miami has allowed the fourth-most rushing yards in the league through eight weeks and giving up an average of 5 yards per carry. The Ravens have eclipsed 170 rushing yards in each of their last games without being at full strength and will be in this game, so they should have no problem when it comes to staying in positive down and distances, setting up play-action passing, sustaining drives, dictating the pace of the game and dominating time of possession.

With this being Jackson's first game back, beating the Dolphins down with a heavy, with occasional explosive change of pace jabs from Keaton Mitchell would be more than enough to get out of Hard Rock Stadium victorious.

Take away quick throws and make plays on the ball

When McDaniel isn't dialing up screens, the rest of the Dolphins' passing game is still predicated on getting the ball out of Tagovailoa's hands fast and in rhythm. By taking away his first read and checkdown options, the Ravens can force him to hold onto the ball, which will allow time for their four-man rush or manufactured pressures to get home or at least force an incompletion, intentional grounding or errant pass.

Tagovailoa is tied for the third-most passing touchdowns in the league with 15, but he is also tied with Geno Smith for the most interceptions thrown as well, with 10, which is just four shy of his career-high with a whole second half of the season to play. He has had three games this season in which he has thrown multiple interceptions, including back-to-back from Week 6 to 7, so the odds of him putting the ball in harm's way in this game are high. The former Pro Bowler is also prone to putting the ball on the ground as he leads the league with six fumbles as well. The Ravens are currently tied for the second-fewest turnovers forced in the NFL with just 4 in seven games, but they can start climbing those rankings if they take advantage of the opportunities that Tagovailoa will inevitably give them in this game.