Dolphins fall to Ravens 26- 23
By Dedrick D. Henry, Sr.
Every Dolfan in SunLife Stadium on Sunday, October 6, 2013 thought overtime, until we looked at the big screen and saw that the field goal attempt had the distance but not the accuracy. The Dolphins failed to send the Ravens flying back north this past Sunday due to a team effort loss 26- 23, the kick went wide right. No one player is to blame for the unfortunate loss. It was truly a poor performance by the entire team. The Ravens had their share of missed opportunities that allowed the Dolphins to keep it close throughout the game. With a sea of purple blemished throughout the stadium the Ravens maintained their aggressive style and play thanks to the fan support. Maybe, not Super Bowl Champion football, but definitely Baltimore Raven smash mouth football lack thereof Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
The Dolphins receivers dropped so many balls it’s a wonder the game was even close. The Dolphins running game was obsolete to say the least. QB #17 Ryan Tannehill was sacked six times which keeps the Dolphins leading the league in quarterback sacks. The Ravens’ sacks cost the Dolphins 35 yards total, yards that definitely cost them the game. The offensive line of the Miami Dolphins failed to give Tannehill ample time to get a decent pass off or even establish a running game. Losing DE#91 Cameron Wake(left knee) early in the game and LB#59 Dannell Ellerbe (shoulder) in the second quarter the Ravens’ offense racked up 402 total yards, 269 passing and a season-high 133-yards rushing.
The Dolphins fell behind by 10 points (23- 13) but put together a vicious comeback that started with a tipped ball by DE#95 Dion Jordan that fell into the hands of CB#20 Reshard Jones who took it 25 yards for the score 23- 20. With less than 9 minutes left in the game the Dolphins defense held the Ravens offense on its next possession that resulted in a punt that sailed out of bounds. For some reason both punters had poor punting percentages with the majority going out of bounds.
The Dolphins defense was under fire all day long but managed to hold the Ravens offense again that allowed the Dolphins to march down the field to tie the game 23-23.
The Ravens just wouldn’t go belly up when Justin Tucker kicked a 44-yard field goal to put the Ravens ahead 26-23 with 1:42 left on the clock. The Dolphins almost missed an opportunity by gaining no yards on the first 3 downs of their possession, but QB#17 Tannehill managed to scramble out of the pocket on 4th down and long to find WR#10 Brandon Gibson completing a 46-yard pass to set up an overtime field goal. With a big first down on the Ravens 34-yard line thoughts of overtime were in the air, especially since Dolphin Kicker#9 Sturgis has been 10 for 10 throughout the season. The last of the sacks had to be the most critical of the game pushing the Dolphins back to the 39- yard line which is the borderline of field goal range for most kickers.
With 33 seconds left in the game the Dolphins sent the moneyman on the field K#9 Sturgis to attempt a now 57- yard field due to the sack. With the crowd on its feet both Ravens’ fans and Dolfans the stadium was roaring and cheering to full capacity. As we watched the ball float at a low and flat angle that if made, it might possibly hit the goal post. With a loud roar and sighs of relief we thought overtime, but the referees laid their arms parallel to their shoulders and said no good. Just like that…. The Game was over…. Thank Goodness we have a Bye Week!!
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