Offense

1) Positive yards on first down: Last Sunday against the Colts, the game plan was more conservative on first down than it should have been. The team tried to hammer the undersized Indianapolis from the jump and it failed miserably.

The Colts gave up nothing on first down, which led to longer second and third-down conversion attempts for the offense.

This week, the offense needs to get back to winning on first down. First down, not third down, is the most critical down in football. If an offense gains four yards on a run or pass play, it makes all the difference on what types of plays it can call to gain the remaining difference needed to move the chains.

The Ravens should stress the pass on first down to open things up for their running game on second and third down. The Dolphins, like the Colts, will load up the box to take away the run. Quarterback Joe Flacco will be dared to pass against that look, and he has to be able to in order to unfetter the box area so his backs can maneuver.

2) Challenge the outside backers: The critical matchups for the Baltimore offensive line to deal with will be on the edges. Miami’s outside rushers, Joey Porter and Matt Roth, are big and adept at disengaging blocks to get to the quarterback.

However, both players could be susceptible to getting beat in coverage. Porter is still a solid cover guy but he is not the player he used to be; Roth is not athletic enough to play in space.

Not only does offensive coordinator Cam Cameron have to cook up schemes to get these backers out of the box and into coverage pockets, but he will also need to create the right physical mismatches to take advantage of the opportunities that could arise.

3) Spread it out: The Baltimore formations have been so packed in at times that opposing defenses have been able to play aggressively to shoot gaps and clutter the middle. As a result, the backs have had little space to work with on inside rush attempts.

Baltimore should look to use more three and four-wide looks to create space in the middle. By spreading their formations, the backers would need to move over to cover receivers, which would open up lanes for the backs to glide through.

If the linebackers don’t slide over, Flacco should have the autonomy to consistently check to a quick pass over the middle.

Defense

1) Bump and Run: The best way to disrupt a rhythm passing attack is to throw off its timing. This strategy can be achieved through delaying receivers’ routes.

If the quarterback were not able to get rid of the ball off of his third, fifth or seventh step, he would need to pull the ball back and find his secondary options. In most instances, the quarterback does not have enough time to reset and adjust if his primary options are not open in due time.

So far this season, the Ravens have used a lot of man coverage but there has not been enough press action at the line. The corners have played off the line.

Granted, injuries have played a part in the coaches’ reluctance to play more bump coverage. Still, if defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is deploying more blitz looks up the middle, he should have the corners bump the receivers so they don’t have the chance to run free on slants and other quick-hitting release routes.

Playing press against the Dolphins would be ideal given that quarterback Chad Pennington is a rhythm passer who relies on his receivers to be at a certain spot, at a certain time. If their timing is impeded, the defense could generate some stops or negative plays.

2) Taming the cat: Miami has gotten much attention for running a concoction of the single-wing formation. In this set, a halfback lines up under center and essentially takes over as either a runner, passer or if he flips the ball, a receiver.

Ronnie Brown has executed this role to perfection. Depending on who the decoy is on a motion action, a play fake by Brown could work to draw defenders to the wrong side so he can move through an open crease.

Last Sunday, the Dolphins finally had Pennington throw the ball downfield off of a pitch, near the right sideline.

This is the type of exotic offensive maneuver that could devastate an aggressive defense like the Ravens. The Baltimore front reacts quickly and at times, the defensive backs are susceptible to peeking into the backfield. The combination of these missteps could lead to a huge play occurring via the run or pass from the Wildcat formation.

The defenders will need to play fundamentally sound football on Sunday to stymie this unconventional act. 

3) Clean up your act: Tackling is not usually an issue of contention for the Baltimore defenders but over the past three games, the group as a whole has been uncharacteristically sloppy.

The main culprits have been the backers and the defensive backs. There have been a few times when the defenders have attempted to deliver kill-shot hits on the ball carrier as opposed to just making a sure tackle. The defense does not need to get caught up in the mindset of separating the ball from the carrier; they need to make sure that they stop the play dead.

One-on-one Matchup to Watch: Terrell Suggs versus Jake Long: One of the reasons that Miami has had success on offense is due to its improved line play. Anchoring the blindside is the top pick from this April’s draft. Long is not the quickest player, but he is tough and has a long wingspan. Up until last Sunday, Suggs had been a tackle’s worst nightmare. He has been timing his jumps well at the snap, and he has been doing a great job of bull rushing. Against Long, Suggs may need to rely on his second move to flow inside to collapse the pocket.