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Dolphins News: Dolphins Run Past Ravens 24-13
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Dolphins News: Dolphins Run Past Ravens 24-13
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*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Oct 19, 1997: -- Dolphins Run Past Ravens 24-13 --

The Dolphins used a balanced offense for the first time this season, with Karim Abdul-Jabbar rushing for 108 yards on 22 carries and 3 touchdowns as the Dolphins beat the Ravens in Baltimore 24-13. The Dolphins ended up with 148 yards rushing, 189 yards passing and recovered 2 Ravens fumbles for a pretty good all-around performance.

In the 1st quarter, the Dolphins allowed the Ravens to run effectively on their first possession with Bam Morris, but stopped them short of the endzone and the Ravens kicked a field goal for a 3-0 score and their only lead of the game.

The Dolphins came right back with a very effective running game, running Karim Abdul-Jabbar 7 times for 49 yards and a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead. After a Ravens' fumble at their 34 on their next possession, the Dolphins came right back with a short drive that ended in a 5 yard touchdown run by Abdul-Jabbar and a 14-3 lead. Then, to close out the 1st quarter, the Dolphins forced another fumble by Derrick Alexander.

In the 2nd quarter, the Dolphins were able to move the ball well and put together another balanced drive to go 80 yards on 12 plays which ended with a 5 yard run by Abdul-Jabbar for his 3rd touchdown of the day and a 21-3 Miami lead. The defense, for their part, managed to keep the Ravens in check and after some problems stopping the run on the 1st possession, stopped the Ravens the rest of the 1st half.

The Ravens came out in the no-huddle offense in the 2nd half, while the Dolphins stayed with their conservative attack. The Ravens put together several drives, but were only able to get a field goal in the 3rd quarter. The Ravens moved the ball well in short increments, but the Dolphins defense was able to keep them out of the endzone.

For the remainder of the game, the Dolphins offense was mostly a rushing offense and managed to chew large hunks of time off the clock. They did manage a field goal to open the 4th quarter and open the score to 24-6, but didn't manage another touchdown in the game.

The Ravens, for their part, put together 2 impressive drives in the 4th quarter against the Dolphins' zone defense, but after getting a touchdown in the middle of the 4th quarter to cut the score to 24-13, the Dolphins offense responded with a time consuming drive that basically left the Ravens without enough time for 2 scores.

The Ravens responded by driving down to the Dolphins' 2, but when Terrell Buckley knocked away the ball on 4th down in the endzone, that gave the Dolphins the ball back with under 30 seconds to play and preserved the 24-13 victory.

The Dolphins actually ended the day with less total offensive yardage than the Ravens, because the Ravens went to a total passing attack in the 2nd half, but they did control the clock and they did have a good running game for the first time this year.

The Dolphins had no sacks on Testaverde, but did get some pressure on him, despite the lack of Jason Taylor. Trace Armstrong, in particular, had a good game, making some critical plays and putting a lot pressure on Testaverde. The Dolphins' defense also stopped Bam Morris after the Ravens' first possession, eventually holding him to 44 yards on 13 carries.

Marino was not sacked and while he didn't throw for a touchdown, he did complete 70% of his passes, didn't throw an interception and helped the offense to convert 9 of 13 third down tries and control the ball for 35 minutes and 12 seconds of the game.

My Comments:

This was the most complete game that the Dolphins have played this year. As they continue to improve a little bit each week, this week it was the running game's turn. The running game is still not where it should be, despite the performances this week, but it was very effective today and will now give opposing defensive coordinators one more thing to worry about.

The thing that disappointed me most about the running game was the inability to get half a yard on 4th and 1 late in the game. If the Dolphins make that play, the game is essentially over. Instead, it gave the Ravens one more shot to try for a comeback.

The Dolphins still don't have a power running attack.

The pass defense was hampered today by the lack of Jason Taylor and the lack of an effective pass rush for most of the game was readily apparent. Still, Trace Armstrong stepped up and had a good day and while the Dolphins gave up too much yardage, they didn't give up a lot of points.

Overall, however, I guess I shouldn't complain too much. This win, coupled with the Patriots' loss, puts the Dolphins into a tie for 1st place in the AFC East at 5-2.

And the Broncos' loss to the Raiders (that "Inside the NFL" curse is working just fine, thank you), means that the '72 Dolphins can open their champagne tonight and celebrate the perfect season.

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Curt Fennell, curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
     
   

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Curt Fennell
curt@phins.com
DOLFAN in New England