The No. 1 seed is at play in Week 17
The Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins, respectively the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the AFC, will contend for a playoff bye week on Sunday.
Teams (Records)
Baltimore Ravens: 12-3
Miami Dolphins: 11-4
Odds (Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Ravens +3.5
OVER/UNDER: 47
Moneyline: Ravens -175; Dolphins +145
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
Last 5 Games In Series
Ravens have won three of the past five matchups, but are on a two-game losing streak.
Matchup History
Ravens lead the all-time series 10-8-0
Injury Report
Injuries Impacting Both Teams
Twice, safety Kyle Hamilton missed practice after reaggravating a knee injury against the San Francisco 49ers. Though he practiced on Thursday, he was limited. Another player absent this week for multiple practices was cornerback Brandon Stephens, who did not participate in Thursday or Friday’s practice. Two big pieces of the Ravens’ secondary being gone against the Dolphins offense will pose an issue.
For the Dolphins, numerous starters are dealing with injury and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has been ruled out. This is helpful for the Ravens as they could be missing CB2, or at least having Stephens not playing at 100%. However, the speed of the defense won’t be much lost as wide receiver Robbie Chosen can still get involved as their depth pass catcher.
Officially, only cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis has been ruled out for Sunday.
Questionable
- WR Zay Flowers
- S Kyle Hamilton
- LB Del’Shawn Phillips
- CB Brandon Stephens
- OL Kevin Zeitler
Dolphins Questionable
- OL Lester Cotton
- OL Liam Eichenberg
- S Jevon Holland
- CB Xavien Howard
- OL Austin Jackson
- RB Raheem Mostert
- CB J. Ramsey
Motivated by the No. 1 Seed
A playoff bye week hangs in the balance in this game. If the Ravens win, they lock up the North and the top spot. Is that motivation for the franchise?
“[There’s] a lot of motivation, but I believe we were already motivated,” Quarterback Lamar Jackson said on Wednesday. “Like I always say, we’re chasing right now. I believe we’re locked in.”
“It’s an exciting situation to be in,” said Head Coach John Harbaugh on Wednesday. “You get into this time of the year, [and] you play yourself into these types of a game where you have an opportunity where the game means so much, where winning one game brings such a big reward because of what you’ve done up until this point, and that’s an earned thing, and the Dolphins have earned the same thing. So, it’s that kind of a game.”
“Yes, we were kind of talking about it in the defensive meeting [that] we get a two-for-one special this week; if we get a win, we win the division, and we win the conference,” safety Kyle Hamilton said on Thursday. “It doesn’t get much bigger than that, and I hope that we all have the mentality [that] we come in … And I know for a fact that we’re all … [We’ve] got everything in this game, and I know that next week, obviously, is a big game against Pittsburgh, as well. But we’ve got to focus on the task at hand, and [if] we don’t win this week, then we still leave things up in the air. I think it’s a good thing [that] everything that we want in front of us is in our hands.”
Any More Drama in Ravens vs. Vic Fangio?
Two seasons ago, the Ravens ran one final play to gain five yards rushing, putting their total to 102 yards on the ground. The Ravens had already won the game and a kneel-down would end it. But the Ravens wanted to pursue an NFL record, and were three yards from it. So, the Ravens ran the ball and with it, they tied the NFL record for 43 games with at least 100 rushing yards.
This didn’t go over well with then-Head Coach of the Denver Broncos, Vic Fangio.
“I thought it was kinda (B.S.), but I expected it from them,” he said. “Thirty-seven years in pro ball. I’ve never seen anything like that, but it was to be expected.”
Now, Fangio has offered an explanation for his comments from 2021.
“What happened there was they ran a play at the end of the game instead of taking a knee to get an extra 4 or 5 yards rushing,” Fangio said. “And our players were all upset about it. And the way the timing worked on Mondays after our games, I would meet with the media before any player would, then I’d have a team meeting. So I took the hit. I said something publicly. I told the players that so they would let it go to bed and they never said anything. So it was one that just finished the story without our players getting involved. I could care less if they run another play.”
I asked Harbaugh about if he spoke with Fangio since and if there’s any residual emotion tied to this game.
“I think everybody has their own opinions on whatever they want to have their opinions on. We know what we’re about [and] what we stand for as an organization [and] as a coaching staff. I know what I’m about and what I believe in,” Harbaugh said. “That’s how I feel about it.”
DVOA Stuff
The Ravens are the No. 1 team by DVOA.
Offense: No. 4
Defense: No. 2
Special Teams: No. 4
The Dolphins are the No. 4 team by DVOA, behind the Ravens in team DVOA by 18.8 points.
Offense: No. 3
Defense: No. 15
Special Teams: No. 12