OVERALL SUMMARY:

I think that it's fair to say that this game against the Ravens was the most complete game that the Dolphins, as a team, had played this year. They had good production both running and passing the ball and they were effective in defending both the run and the pass. And their special teams, while not overwhelming, were very steady and effective.

The biggest surprise of this game was the effectiveness of the running game. It was a welcome surprise to see the team rush for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns. Perhaps more important than that was the fact that they were able to use the run to control the football and that certainly contributed to the victory.

The defense did not have their best game of the year, but they had a pretty good one. Other than the first series, they did a good job stopping the run and while they gave up a lot of passing yards, they didn't give up a lot of points. Given that they were without two of their starting defensive linemen, that says a lot about their overall effectiveness.

Overall, the team has to get an A for their performance on Sunday. It could have been better, but given the circumstances, it was a fine effort and a great stepping stone on which to continue to build.

GRADES:

RUSHING: The running game woke up with Karim Abdul-Jabbar showing more patience and elusiveness than he has all year. That, in combination with the improvement of the run blocking, allowed the Dolphins to rush for 148 total yards and had Abdul-Jabbar getting his first 100 yard game this season.

Despite the fine performance, the running game was not perfect and still has room for improvement. Abdul-Jabbar actually fumbled twice in the game and that can't be allowed to continue. Also, the Dolphins had 2 more instances of failing to convert in short yardage situations and that needs to be addressed. GRADE: A-

PASSING: While the passing game was not the focus of the offense, it was very effective when needed. Marino and McDuffie converted a number of crucial third down situations with their flawless execution. Parmalee, Lamar Thomas and Drayton all played very important roles and even Abdul-Jabbar had an important catch.

Also, the offensive line did a credible job against the Ravens' pass rush and on the one or two occasions where somebody got free, Marino was able to compensate. As a result, he was not sacked. About the only thing that the passing game didn't do well was to score. GRADE: A

RUN DEFENSE: After looking pretty porous during the first Ravens' series, the defense stiffened and shut down the Ravens' running game. Gardener, Bowens and the other linemen stuffed the middle and got into the backfield. Zach Thomas and the other linebackers were aggressive and denied the Ravens' running backs room to operate. In the end, they held the Ravens to 54 yards rushing and limited Bam Morris to just 44 yards on 13 carries. GRADE: A+

PASS DEFENSE: The pass defense has been better. The pass rush was the area that they were weakest in and that was obviously due to the lack of Jason Taylor in the lineup. Towards the end of the game, they got a little better, but by that time, Testaverde was comfortable in the pocket and wasn't rushed.

The defensive backs played a little too passively and were beaten in some key areas. While they only gave up one touchdown when Buckley slipped (again), they gave up a lot of yards and a number of completions over 20 yards. According to one source, JJ said that the defensive backs missed at least 3 interception opportunities.

They need to play a little more aggressive if they are to have success in the future. GRADE: B-

KICKING GAME: Mare' made his only field goal, but his kickoffs were falling awfully short. I think the deepest kickoff he had came down at the 4. You can blame it on the wind if you want, but at least 2 of Matt Stover's kicks came down in the endzone. Fortunately, the kick coverage was pretty good. The longest runback on a kickoff was out to the 26.

The punting game was also fine as Kidd was back in form. He only punted twice and while he didn't have a great average, he did put one punt down at the 14 of the Ravens. GRADE: B

KICK RETURN GAME: Corey Harris made a mistake on the first kickoff when he fumbled the catch and then elected to run it out anyway, getting only to the 16. Spikes did return one kickoff to the 35, but the other 2 were touchbacks.

On punt returns, Jordan had one nice one for over 20 yards, but only got 1 yard on the other. GRADE: B-

GOOD STUFF:

The running game finally came to life as Abdul-Jabbar and Spikes did some nifty cutback running. It's obvious that cutback running is going to be the most productive for the Dolphins and if they can run the ball in the future, they will.

The pinpoint passing of Marino and the ability of McDuffie to get the 1st down continue to be key to the Dolphins' offense. The passing game still appears to be there when they need it.

The offensive line had what was easily their best game of the year, even without Keith Sims. Between holding the Ravens' pass rush in check and opening holes for Karim, they had a great day.

The defensive line did a credible job without Taylor, especially in run defense. Trace Armstrong, in particular, stepped forward in a way that he hasn't yet this year.

The linebackers also continue to be an area of strength, with Zach Thomas, Anthony Harris and Derrick Rodgers all providing important contributions in both the pass and the run.

THINGS TO WORK ON:

The short yardage situations still have to be addressed. The Dolphins are getting better in 3rd downs conversion, but most of that is due to Marino and the passing game getting in sync. Twice during this game, the Dolphins failed to convert on either 3rd and less than a yard or 4th and less than a yard.

I hate to say that the kicking game needs help, but Mare' did not do that well on Sunday. If he can't kick it deeper than he did, he's not being the kind of kicker that the Dolphins need.

And the defensive backs need to be more aggressive in their coverage. While the cornerbacks had a pretty good day, the nickel backs and safeties were victimized pretty regularly. And it seemed that most of their problems were from a lack of aggressiveness. They were so concerned about giving up the big play that they just sat back and let Vinny complete multiple passes underneath.

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES:

Marino, while not having a career day in the stats column, was just about perfect when he needed to be. His selection of receivers and delivery of the ball were about as good as it ever has been. He ended up with 19 completions on 27 attempts for 189 yards. He didn't throw any touchdowns, but he did get all the 3rd downs that the Dolphins needed.

Karim Abdul-Jabbar had his first 100 yard game of the year and played very well. He ended up with 22 carries for 108 yards and 3 touchdowns on 3 very nice cutback runs. The only thing he did wrong was fumble twice - but that's pretty serious. He can't continue that. He also caught a pass out of the backfield for 14 yards.

Irving Spikes got 16 carries for 46 yards, which is less than a 3 yard per carry average, but he had a few nice runs. He was stuffed on both attempts from short yardage, however. He also had a nice 7 yard catch for a 1st down.

Dewayne Dotson got most of the calls at fullback and while he didn't catch a pass for carry the ball once, he was instrumental in blocking.

Bernie Parmalee spelled Dotson at fullback when they needed a receiving threat and even though he only caught 3 passes, at least one of them was crucial to a touchdown drive.

OJ McDuffie put on another dazzling display of ability in leading all receivers with 7 catches for 77 yards. As near as I can figure, 6 of the 7 passes that McDuffie caught were for 1st downs and 4 of those 1st down conversion were on 3rd down. He was simply outstanding.

Lamar Thomas was not much of a factor, but did catch 2 passes for 15 yards and managed to keep the defense honest.

Troy Drayton caught 3 passes for 33 yards, 2 of those were for 1st downs and one was a very impressive 23 yard reception. He also provided some nice blocking.

McPhail continues to be a non-factor, catching 1 pass for 6 yards and fielding one kickoff in the endzone.

Charles Jordan had one very good punt return for 22 yards and one pretty bad one for 1 yard. He also had an end-around play that was stuffed in the backfield, but that wasn't really his fault. Most impressive, though, was his third down catch on a quick slant where he was leveled immediately after the catch by Ray Lewis, but hung on to the ball.

The offensive line was unusually impressive, continuing to protect Marino and opening holes for Abdul-Jabbar. Everett McIver, in particular, caught my eye on a couple of plays, opening some nice holes and pancaking some linebackers.

On defense, Trace Armstrong came out of hibernation long enough to collect 4 tackles, harass Vinny Testaverde and stop Bam Morris 4 yards deep in the backfield on a crucial play in the 1st quarter. He also recovered Morris' fumble that was turned into Miami's second touchdown. You have to wonder where he goes sometimes.

Darryl Gardener also had a good game, making 2 tackles and forcing a fumble on a big hit in the 1st quarter.

Tim Bowens was not as visible and even though he got 2 tackles, he was not as a big factor.

Dunstan Anderson started in place of Jason Taylor and was pretty much invisible. He had no tackles.

Shane Burton seemed to have a pretty good game, but didn't make as big an impact as he has in the past. He ended the day with one tackle.

Derrick Rodgers was asked to pass rush quite a bit and, as a result, didn't get as many tackles as he usually does. However, he ended the day with 5 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Zach Thomas is only credited with 4 tackles, but he went head-to-head with Bam Morris a number of times and broke up a pass that almost turned into his 2nd interception of the year.

Anthony Harris also had 4 tackles, but didn't make as big an impact as he has in some of the other games.

Terrell Buckley had 7 tackles and a forced fumble when he stripped Derrick Alexander of the ball. However, he slipped and fell while trying to cover Alexander later and that resulted in the Ravens' only touchdown.

Calvin Jackson had a fine game, getting 7 tackles and providing some nice coverage, including saving a 1st down when he knocked a Raven receiver out of bounds on 3rd down.

Corey Harris also had 7 tackles, but was beaten a number of times by the fast Jermaine Lewis. Also, he tried to return a kickoff that he had fumbled in the endzone and was stuffed at the 16. He did have a couple of special teams tackles, but overall had a bad day.

George Teague did not have a particularly auspicious first start, getting a single tackle and not doing anything else particularly interesting. He wasn't beaten deep, but he didn't provide any kind of spark to the defense.

Shawn Wooden, on the other hand, did play well, getting 6 tackles, including some nice plays on opposing running backs.

Olindo Mare' had a mediocre day kicking off, putting no kickoffs in the endzone. He did make his one field goal attempt, but it was a short one.

John Kidd is back and looked pretty good. He didn't have a great average at 36.5 yards per kick, but he did put one down inside the 20 and hit the other one pretty well.

INJURIES:

There were no severe injuries to report.

My Comments:

As I said, this game was about as good an overall effort as the Dolphins have had this season. Offensively, defensively and on special teams, they played like a dominant football team. When the game was over, there was no one saying that the Dolphins should not have won this game.

It remains to be seen how important this game will turn out to be, of course, but it was a win on the road against a conference foe that has a potent offense and a young, hungry defense. Also, with the Ravens coming off the bye week, they had more time to prepare for the Dolphins than the Dolphins had.

As the season progresses, the Dolphins seem to be finding little ways to improve each week. If they continue to improve steadily through the season, they will be a true playoff contender at the end of the year.

Having said that, there are still plenty of areas that need to be improved. The short yardage game still needs some work, and it sure would be nice to find a deep threat in all those receivers. Also, the defensive backs need to stop being quite so conservative and get a little ball-hungry. It's all very well to prevent the deep pass, but it's even better to get an interception.

Overall, you have to like what you see with this team.

Provided you're a Dolphins' fan, of course.

Related Info:

• NFL.COM: Gamebook
• Dolphins Endzone: Postgame Press Conference
• Dolphins Endzone: Post Game Wrap Up
• Sun-Sentinel: Q&A; With JJ