The big story from this game will likely be the benching of Washington for Wilson. 

I listened to some of the talk radio on the way home and one host opined that Washington will still play a lot.  I don’t think that’s necessarily true. 

First, Washington dropped 2 spots in the order from 2nd to 4th corner.  Webb is clearly the number 3 and it’s a bit surprising that Webb didn’t take over as the full-time #2 in the 2nd half.  As the 4th corner, Washington could get playing time if one of the big 3 is injured, if one plays poorly, or if the Ravens try a new defensive alignment with 4 cornerbacks.  To date, the Ravens have played a 3-safety dime and a 4-safety quarter (1 play), so they haven’t had more than 3 corners on the field.  Each played exactly one half and Wilson clearly outplayed his teammate. 

In the first half, here are the most significant plays involving Washington:

·         (Q2, 2:55) Hartline caught a 10-yard out by the left sideline, but eluded Washington for 21 YAC.

·         (Q2, 2:00)  Bess ran a curl on the left sideline and Fabian slipped as he made his break.  The play went for a gain of 15 when Washington forced him OOB.

·         (Q2, 0:35)  Henne completed a pass by the left sideline to Bess that he took to the 1-yard line before being tackled by Washington.  On the replay it’s not clear whether Fabian simply loses coverage on Bess or is peeling off to cover Marshall, who is off screen, but also lined up on the left.

Here are Wilson’s highlights from the 2nd half:

·         (Q3: 14:23) Wilson registered a PD covering Bess down the left sideline.

·         (Q3, 6:22) Josh was generously credited with a PD on Ronnie Brown’s drop by the left sideline.  Brown tipped the ball to just out of his reach when Wilson came in to contact his hand.  Kelly Gregg had pressure on the inside.

·         (Q4, 13:58)  Wilson had excellent man coverage on Marshall in the end zone.  Wilson jockeyed for position and Marshall fell .The ball dropped harmlessly in bounds just a yard or 2 away.

·         (Q4, 0:42)  Wilson wrestled the ball from Bess for the interception on the Dolphins last offensive play.

The Dolphins ran just 53 offensive plays:

Overall:

Vs. the Run:  17 plays, 73 yards, 4.3 YPC

Vs. the Pass:  36 plays, 216 yards, 6.0 YPP

Overall:  53 plays, 289 yards, 5.5 YPPA

By number of defensive backs

Goal Line (2 DBs):  1/0, 0.0

Short Yardage (3 DBs):  1/2, 2.0

Standard (4 DBs):  19/139, 7.3 YPPA

Nickel (5 DBs):  24/114, 4.8 YPPA, 1 sack, 2 TO

Dime (6 DBs):  9/34, 3.8 YPPA, 1 sack, 1 TO

By number of pass rushers

3:  6 plays, 48 yards, 8.0 YPP

4:  19/105 5.5 YPPA, 2 TO

5:  7/44, 6.3 YPPA, 1 TO

6:  2/25, 12.5 YPPA, 1 sack

7+:  2/-6, -3.0, 1 sack

Individual Notes:

The first Dolphins drive was a nightmare as the Ravens allowed 46 rushing yards (of 73 for the game) including gains of 12, 12, and 14 yards.  What happened on those big gains?

·         (Q1, 12:02) Gregg was moved easily by Berger then Incognito to create a hole up the middle which Brown exploited for a 12-yard gain.

·         (Q1, 11:09)  After a false start put the Dolphins in a 1st-and-15 hole, Berger held up Ngata as RG Jerry handled Kruger to allow Brown to run for 14 more.

·         (Q1, 10:00)  Terrence Cody was driven backwards by Long and Incognito as Berger held up Gregg.  Brown ran over left guard for a gain of 2 on 3rd and 1.  Cody would be credited with an assist on the tackle, but it was a play won by the left side of the Miami line.

·         (Q1, 5:29)  Redding was pancaked by Carey to open the hole for Brown’s 12-yard TD run.

There was plenty of blame to go around on that drive.  It’s surprising to me that the Dolphins would run the ball just twice more in the 1st half and 9 more times for the game.  Several of those runs were scrambles by Henne after he dropped back.

·         Gregg played poorly for much of the game, but there is 1 play that will stick in my mind.  He dropped to cover (Q3, 9:23) and his assignment became Ronnie Brown leaving the backfield for a short route to the left.  Gregg’s recognition was evident, but he was unable to keep up with Brown who turned the corner for a 14-yard gain before stepping out of bounds as Wilson approached.  At this point in his career, Kelly Gregg provides very little personal pass rush and his presence on the field on pass plays limits the options the Ravens have.

·         The Ravens deactivated both Brandon McKinney and Lamar Divens, which left them with a very light defensive line.  This is most apparent in goal line situations where Redding is a little small to be one of the 4 DTs.  It is fortunate the offense had such a good day and the Ravens led for most of the game.  That combination of circumstances kept the Dolphins to 53 offensive snaps and the defense never looked tired.

·         There were 4 Ravens that played 1 or 2 unusual defensive snaps

o    Phillips played a snap on the goal line (Q2, 0:24) positioned as the Ravens normally place a safety, standing on the far right side of the defensive line.  It was Jason’s first defensive snap in the NFL.  The Ravens had just 2 defensive backs on the play for the first time I can recall since the beginning of 2006.

o    Burgess entered for a single snap (Q1, 10:00) as the Ravens removed Washington to play a 4-4-3 on 3rd and 1.  Brown ran for 2 yards.

o    Brendan Ayanbadejo returned to the defensive huddle for the first time in 2010, with 2 snaps.  On his first (Q2, 1:16), he stripped Marshall although the Dolphins wide receiver would recover.  He returned to play the last defensive snap of the game when Wilson intercepted Henne (Q4, 0:42).

o    McClain, who saw significant time platooning with Gooden, also played 2 more snaps as a down lineman (Q4, 0:59 and 0:52) when he subbed for JJ.

·         Cody played 7 snaps and was unimpressive.  The Dolphins passed on 5 of those snaps and he did little in the pass rush.  He played just 1 snap in the 2nd half.

·         Of the defensive players who dressed, only Williams did not play a snap.

·         Suggs’ sack of Henne (Q2, 9:43) was effective design.  Kruger, who seems to play a frequent supporting role in these stunts, crashed the left A gap, picking up Berger’s attention.  As Berger turned to block Kruger, Johnson (who had moved to line up at the nose) hand-checked Jerry to draw his attention, Incognito pawed at Suggs as he moved left, and Lewis had the attention of Jake Long.   That left RT Vernon Carey as the only man with a chance to block Suggs and he was too slow moving inside.

The Ravens’ 3 biggest defensive plays:

·         Webb’s interception (Q2, 13:42):  It was simply a tremendous individual effort which reminded me of Reed’s TD in the 2008 Wild Card game at Miami.  Webb crossed the field and nearly outran the defense for the score.  The Ravens would choke up a big opportunity with a -16 yard drive leading to a botched FG attempt.  This is another great example of why it’s appropriate for the defense to take chances to score following a turnover.  Giving the offense the ball at the opposing 30, 20, or even 4-yard line does not guarantee a score.  The Ravens’ offense has now failed to score twice in the last 2 games on interceptions returned inside the opponent’s 10-yard line.

·         Ngata’s sack (Q4, 13:09):  With an all-too-familiar 10-point, 4th-quarter lead, Ngata’s play left Miami with 4th and 9 at the 28.  Carpenter’s missed FG would preserve the lead.

·         Reed’s interception (Q4, 6:35):  I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing each of the announcer’s questions.  Dierdorf:  Why do footballs just fly into the hands of Ed Reed?  Gumbel:  What is Ed Reed doing on the outside of that play?  Reed clearly anticipated either the overthrow or a tip.  With both Lewis and Webb bracketing Marshall, Ed was free to position himself for the opportunity.  The Ravens would drive 12 yards in 4 minutes, culminating in Cundiff’s FG to extend the lead to 16.