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Baltimore Ravens: 3 players vital to beating Dolphins

By Dustin Cox

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 4: Quarterback Joe Flacco
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 4: Quarterback Joe Flacco /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 22: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball while being pursued by defenders C.J. Mosley #57 and Za’Darius Smith #90 of the Baltimore Ravens in third quarter of the game on October 22, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 22: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball while being pursued by defenders C.J. Mosley #57 and Za’Darius Smith #90 of the Baltimore Ravens in third quarter of the game on October 22, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

After an ugly loss to the Vikings last Sunday the Baltimore Ravens must turn around quickly to play the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. This seems to be an absolute must win game for the Ravens, and here are 3 players who are vital to getting that win.

C.J. Mosley

The Ravens currently have the worst run defense in the NFL. This is a big problem because the Dolphins have one of the best running backs in the league with Jay Ajayi. It’s an anomaly why the Ravens run defense has been so poor this year. It is on pace to be the worst in franchise history. Many (including myself) expected that getting Brandon Williams back would fix the problem, but as we saw against the Vikings, the defense still gave up a ton of rushing yards.

C.J. Mosley will play a vital role in limiting Ajayi. The Ravens need better play from their linebackers, including Mosley who already leads the league in tackles with 64. The Ravens defensive lineman and linebackers must properly fill their gaps and swarm to Ajayi. I have confidence that this defense can turn things around. They are too talented and deep in their front seven not to.

Stopping the run is huge:

The Dolphins are missing quarterback Jay Cutler, meaning the Ravens will face backup, Matt Moore. This doesn’t really matter though if the Ravens can’t stop the run. The Ravens have faced backup or inexperienced quarterbacks in their last few games against the Vikings (Case Keenum), and Bears (Mitch Trubisky), yet neither passer played very well or threw the ball much. This was because each team found success running the ball and won the game doing so effectively. The Ravens must force Matt Moore to win the game, and if they can do that, then I like this defense’s chances of dominating.

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