The Ravens are only 1.5 games behind the division leader and have a mini-bye week of 10 days. Lamar Jackson was a beacon for hope, but his return wasn’t flawless. Let’s dive into it.

Lamar Jackson Lamar Jackson started off slowly, but you can’t complain about his football skills. Jackson found his rhythm again after a missed pass to Bateman rattled him. Jackson ended the day with four touchdowns, a 143.2 rating and the fourth time in his career he has finished at 140 or above against the Dolphins. At this point he might own a stake in the Miami Dolphins.

Derrick Henry : Henry’s performance in Jackson’s return was similar to what it was at the beginning of the season. The Ravens were struggling to get first downs in the first half and extended drives. Henry averaged 6.3 yard per carry but was often stuffed. Henry is still a top-notch talent when he has a bit more room. He is more often finding success by bouncing outside runs due to poor O-line play.

Zay Flowers Flowers is the team’s top target, even though he doesn’t find the endzone very often. Flowers led the team again in receiving yards (for the 7th time in 8 games) with 64 yards. He caught all 5 of his targets. It was a 39-yard shot from the right sideline, similar to what he did in 2023 when Miami played.

Tight ends: Isaiah Likely had 60 yards after three catches. Mark Andrews scored two touchdowns with two catches. Charlie Kolar scored a touchdown in his second consecutive game and made a huge third-down grab with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to keep the offense in the field. Instead of handing the ball back to Miami, Kolar drained the clock down to zeros. The Ravens have the best room for tight ends in the NFL. Enough said.

Roquan Smith Smith continued his good performance from last week by playing another solid game this week. He’s not making the most flashy plays as he used to in the early days of his career but his impact on the team has been huge the last two weekends. He led the team once again in tackles, and made several third-down tackles. He was the lone defender on the screen, but he still managed to fight through his blocker. This allowed him to bring Achane down just short of the sticks. Smith may have fallen off recently or you can argue about his positional value, but someone has to make tackles in order to get the team to the end zone. Smith is currently leading the defense in this area.

Kyle Hamilton – You cannot say enough good things about Kyle Hamilton. Without him, this defense would crumble. He is the best safety and outside linebacker in the NFL. He is changing the way the defense works by staying near the line of scrimmage and filling in for defensive ends, linebackers, slot, nickels, and any other role that can be assigned to him. He puts pressure on running backs and covers wide receivers.

Malaki starks: Last week, in the rookie report, I asked for patience from fans with Malaki, who has been under a lot more scrutiny this season. Starks is doing a good job in center field, but fans are starting to complain about his lack of impact play. Starks makes touchdown-saving plays when opposing teams make huge gains and takes the blame. But he is often covering for others. Starks was rewarded with his first interception this season, after a stunning play. This highlight shows off his athleticism and ball skills, as well as his fluidity.

Alohi Gillman: Yes, today we are talking about the three safeties. Gilman isn’t a flashy player, and his stats aren’t impressive. Gilman gave us an excuse to talk about him tonight with a fumble that set the Ravens up for the first score of their night. Gilman quietly shifted the defense by allowing Hamilton to play at the line of scrimmage. Gilman was steady in the backfield, never making mistakes and doing his job. Often, this is forgotten. Sometimes we can celebrate them.

Jordan Stout : This is a classic Ravens punter contract year. Stout went from being a kicker who hurt the Ravens’ offense more than punters should, to a punter that is constantly giving the Defense great positioning. Stout has made an incredible turnaround since the start of the season. But for the second time in a week, he delivered a game-changing kick. Stout, just like last week’s punt, managed to keep the opposition offense within the five-yard line. Just like last week the Ravens’ defense took advantage and caused a turnover. This led to field position for the offense and eventually a touchdown. Stout could be the Raven who is most improved in 2025.

Keondre Jackson:I wanted to call out a practice team call-up that’s been playing well for multiple weeks. It’s good to see that the roster space hasn’t been wasted, especially with the ongoing questions about personnel decisions. I don’t think it is fair to undersell the importance of special teams compared to an offensive or defense playmaker. Jackson has been able to make some notable special teams plays, which is a great help for a defense in need of all the support it can get. Jackson was called up to the practice squad for the third time. I wouldn’t be surprised if a roster change is made to include him on 53-man roster.

Buying before the deadline:With the Ravens’ win, they are now officially 1.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in first place, who will be playing the Indianapolis Colts (7-1) on Sunday. Eric DeCosta has five days left until the deadline for trades and a 10-day layoff. He should be glued to his phone as much as possible. This team can start to round into Super Bowl shape again with some reinforcements on the edge, defensive line and/or at guard.

First Half Play: After a good start, the Ravens only allowed 26 yards to the Dolphins on their first drive. This forced a field-goal. After a poor miss by Lamar Jackson, the Ravens offense went three and out. The Ravens scored after a great punt, and then Miami fumbled. But it took them four attempts to convert. After that, the Ravens defense let the Miami offense march down the field. The only thing that saved them was a false start at fourth and on which forced the Dolphins to attempt a field goal, which they failed. The Ravens defense was barely able to survive the remainder of the first half due to Miami’s mistakes, penalties and sometimes questionable play-calling. It was the same for the offense. The offense felt similar. They scored one more touchdown for the half but almost half of the yards were a result of a broken play. The offensive line was the most dysfunctional in the second half. They got no push and barely held on when Jackson dropped back.

In the second half things changed. Both units played more consistently and better without needing help from penalties or broken plays. It’s not just Thursday Night Football or Lamar Jackson’s return rust, but I can’t let this continue. The 10 day break and some trading will hopefully help.

Run Defense :There is no other way to say it. They got gashed. De’Von Achane was on skates in the first-half with 12 carries and 67 yards. The defense was unable to handle his speed, and they had no answer for him. Miami, knowing that Baltimore fans were familiar with this tactic, abandoned the running game when the Ravens took a 21-6 second-half lead. Achane had only two more carries for the remainder of the game. Baltimore will continue to be a target for teams who want to run the ball into their throats. They need to fix this. It’s not enough to rely on Lamar Jackson chasing the opposing team and missed field goals every week to stop their run game. This one might only be fixed by trading.

Offensive Line: It’s hard to admit, but the offensive line of the Baltimore Ravens is soft. It’s like toilet paper 10 ply soft. It’s just the way I see it. They get knocked off the ball way too much. Derrick Henry is stuffed so often in a game. They have problems sustaining drives, because they cannot convert on third and short. They have conversion problems at the goal line, and in this game it took four attempts to get seven yards into their end zone. It’s not often that they play hard football. I’m not sure if this is a talent or coaching issue.

They can do it. Last year they did it with the majority of the pieces. Although they lacked talent, at least they played hard and let Derrick Henry do his thing. This year, they just don’t seem to be doing it. Emory Jones, a rookie, could add some toughness in the line. If they want to improve, it is more than likely that they will need to trade. Kevin Zeitler from Tennessee or Cesar Rubiz from New Orleans come to mind.