With both teams holding onto slim playoff hopes the loser will start looking ahead to next season. Playing with his B team last week, Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh coaxed a miracle finish out of his group to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Including playoffs, Baltimore has won five straight against the Dolphins with four of those victories coming in Miami.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Miami Dolphins -3.5
Baltimore Ravens +3.5
Over/Under 43.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
Baltimore has held a significant upper hand in the series, going 5-0 SU and ATS in the last five meetings. But the Ravens had some of their top skill players for those matchups. That isn’t the case here. The line was wagered to Miami -4 and looks favorable for the home team.
KEY INJURIES
Maxx Williams – Baltimore’s tight end suffered a concussion against the Browns on Monday night and will remain under the league’s mandated protocol for that injury. He is questionable to play Sunday, leaving Nick Boyle to see more time in two-tight end sets.
Mike Pouncey – The foot injury that knocked the Dolphins starting center out of last week’s game might be more serious than first expected. Jamil Douglas took Pouncey’s place – with poor results. Several of his snaps bounced before reaching Ryan Tannehill. Jacques McClendon was signed as an insurance policy.
KEY MISMATCH
The Baltimore Ravens have struggled in a lot of areas this year, but blocking kicks on special teams has not been one of them. The Ravens entered their Monday night game with Cleveland having blocked a punt or field goal in four straight games. Their fifth turned into a game-winner. Special teams was just that for Baltimore against the Browns. Kaelin Clay, playing in just his second game, scored on an 82-yard punt return in the first quarter. Kicker Justin Tucker also came up big, making both of his field goal attempts, including one from 49 yards. However, no play was bigger than Brent Urban’s block on a potentially game-winning 51-yard field goal by Cleveland’s Travis Coons. Safety Will Hill picked up the loose ball and ran 64 yards for the 33-27 victory as time expired. “We play hard on special teams. We’ve got a lot of good special teams players and they’re very well coached,” John Harbaugh said.
KEY STAT
20.5 – Miami’s scoring average. The Dolphins rank 27th in the league in points per game and scored an average of 15.6 points while losing four of their last five. They face a Ravens defense that surrenders 25.1 points per game.
BETTING ANGLE
Ravens coach John Harbaugh has been defiant in the face of adversity. Even when his team fell to 1-6, he believed the Ravens were still capable of making an unprecedented run to the playoffs. Now, Baltimore has won back-to-back games for the first time this season and the coach is looking for more. A win over the Dolphins could set the tone for a strong finish and even impact the NFL’s playoff picture. The Ravens will finish the season without several starters because of injuries, including quarterback Joe Flacco, receiver Steve Smith, running back Justin Forsett and linebacker Terrell Suggs. Nonetheless, the Ravens are looking to make some noise down the stretch. Seven of Baltimore’s losses have been decided by a total of 32 points, which has been a source of both confidence and frustration.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
After near misses and close calls that led to a 2-7 start, the Ravens have won back-to-back games for the first time all season and finally had something good happen to them in last week’s miraculous finish in Cleveland. Of course, that came against a dysfunctional Browns team that also lost its starting quarterback. The Dolphins haven’t been much better than the Browns, but they are better. And while the Ravens have another week to work Matt Schaub and Buck Allen into the offense, they still are not as good as what the Dolphins have. Miami made another change, firing offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and replacing him with Zac Taylor. The hope is Ryan Tannehill, who will be more involved in the play-calling and decision-making, will lead the team out of its offensive malaise. The Dolphins played their best two games of the year after Dan Campbell was named interim coach and the change on the offensive side could provide the same spark.
Miami 26, Baltimore 19
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Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The contest pitting the Baltimore Ravens versus the Miami Dolphins will commence Sunday, December 6, 2015, at 1 p.m. ET at Sun Life Stadium. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
