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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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CINCINNATI, OH – JANUARY 3: Cornerback Adam Jones #24 of the Cincinnati Bengals grabs the face mask of center Ryan Jensen #66 of the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Paul Brown Stadium on January 3, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andrew Weber/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – JANUARY 3: Cornerback Adam Jones #24 of the Cincinnati Bengals grabs the face mask of center Ryan Jensen #66 of the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Paul Brown Stadium on January 3, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andrew Weber/Getty Images) /

Ryan Jensen

The Ravens offensive line has been up and down this season. Injuries to each guard position, most notably RG Marshal Yanda, have really hurt the unit as a whole. Joe Flacco has been sacked 17 times through 7 games, including 5 times in the last game against the Minnesota Vikings. With the Ravens top 3 wide receivers questionable to play this Thursday night, Flacco needs more time in the pocket to allow his receivers to get open. The offense finding success starts up front with the big guys.

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Pressure will come from the middle:

The Ravens have struggled mightily against teams with strong defensive lines, and the Dolphins have a very scary one, to say the least. Ndamukong Suh is one of the best and most disruptive defensive tackles in the NFL. Defensive end Cameron Wake is a dominant force up front as well. The Ravens offensive line is capable of handling elite pass rushers, as they did with Khalil Mack (one of the best pass rushers in the NFL) in week 5 against the Oakland Raiders. Mack primarily faced the tackles, Ronnie Stanley and Austin Howard however, Suh will look to wreak havoc up the middle of the line.

Ryan Jensen has had some great games and some pretty ugly games so far this season. He is the anchor that holds down the middle of the line, and with James Hurst and rookie Jermaine Eluemunor to each side of him, he must play well for this line to be successful. Linval Joseph gave Jensen fits last week and Ndamukong Suh is possibly even better than him. Ryan Jensen must step up to the plate and show he is truly the center of the future for the Baltimore Ravens.

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