The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Miami Dolphins to end their seven-game road losing streak, with a final tally of 27-13. The victory also marked the end of the Ravens' three-game losing streak, putting them firmly in second place in the AFC North behind the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rookie QB Joe Flacco had a masterful day, completing 17-of-23 passes for 232 yards and 1 TD with no INTs, to amass a career-high QB rating of 120.2. Veteran WR Derrick Mason reeled in Flacco's second career passing TD on an 11-yard strike that followed a near-interception on the previous play.
RB Willis McGahee celebrated his 27th birthday early by carrying the Ravens to victory on the strength of his 19 carries for 105 yards and a TD. McGahee also had 2 catches for 47 yards (the longest, a 35-yarder that ended with a goal-line fumble), raising his total output to 152 total yards from scrimmage.
The Ravens defense did its part to give the offense ample opportunities to score, shutting down the Dolphins' vaunted Wildcat formation all day; Miami's gadgetry only amassed 5 net yards on 6 attempts, and the ground attack was limited to 70 yards with no TDs.
Dolphins QB Chad Pennington had a statistically-efficient day, completing 24-of-35 passes for 295 yards and a TD, but had difficulty converting on third down passes. In addition, Pennington's early interception returned 44 yards for a TD by hybrid LB/DE Terrell Suggs set the tone for the offensive woes that Miami would face all day.
Even with a battered secondary, the Ravens were able to make the most of their personnel and shut down the Dolphins offense by simple penetration. Miami's offense line struggled in pass protection, allowing Baltimore to pressure the QB on every play. The Dolphins' run blocking was scarcely better, but not enough to yield a TD.
Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's return to Miami was an emotional one, as evident by his willingness to open up the playbook and exploit every defensive weakness of the Dolphins. Flacco's play was conservative but effective, and the ground attack was smashmouth football at its best, never giving Miami's defense a chance to rest.
In a game that the Ravens needed to win to keep pace in the AFC North, Baltimore came through and lived up to Terrell Suggs' proclamation that "this [was] a make-or-break game."
With a .500 record, the 3-3 Ravens return home for a Week 8 contest with the 2-4 Oakland Raiders before heading back on the road for a divisional match-up with the Cleveland Browns, beginning another tough stretch of four road games in five weeks.
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