Why the Baltimore Ravens must dominate the Miami Dolphins

Style points don’t matter however the Baltimore Ravens better win their first game with some style.

The Baltimore Ravens have spent the offseason preparing to have a great year. They put new pieces in place to be competitive now. They have been retooling more than they have been rebuilding. A playoff caliber team doesn’t just beat the Miami Dolphins, they blow them out of the water. A win is a win one way or another yet some victories provide more confidence than others. Baltimore has to send a statement with this win.

The Miami Dolphins traded for Josh Rosen and they are starting Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick has had some incredible high points in his career. That doesn’t change the fact that he is a journeyman quarterback for a reason. The Ravens defense shouldn’t have a problem with Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins have Julien Davenport as their left tackle, and their best two receiving threats are Devante Parker and Albert Wilson. That’s not the kind of talent that should make the Ravens too worried.

Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage are a decent duo in the backfield. That doesn’t mean they will get anything going behind the Dolphins porous offensive line. The Ravens defense has star power. They have Matt Judon, Earl Thomas III and Marlon Humphrey. The Ravens also have players who could have breakout seasons on defense. Patrick Onwuasor, Chris Board and Michael Pierce are solid players ready to make a big impact this season. From a talent standpoint Baltimore’s defense has no excuses.

On defense the Dolphins don’t have a ton of star power either. They should get strong play from Christian Wilkins, a rookie defensive tackle out of Clemson. Xavien Howard is a cornerback who has gotten 11 interceptions in the past two seasons and Raekwon McMillan is a decent linebacker.  The defense as a whole is average at best.

The Ravens have very little doubt that they can run the ball effectively. This shouldn’t be a problem against the Dolphins. The Ravens offense has a lot of power and a lot of speed. Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards are the hammers in the run game. Lamar Jackson, Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin are speedsters that the defense has to worry about. The Ravens offense is new and it may take some time to gel. From a talent standpoint and an X’s and O’s perspective there is nothing to be concerned with.

That’s why this game has to be a shellacking. The Ravens have to make this game look easy because this is as easy as an NFL game comes. Baltimore has no excuse to lose this game. They don’t really have an excuse to make it competitive. John Harbaugh has to have his team ready to beat the Dolphins handily. One way or another a win will be a good thing. If this game is a challenge though, the Ravens may have some problems. Good teams make this game look easy and that’s the bottom line.