MIA-BAL grades: Joe Flacco performs well in Ravens' victory

Baltimore Ravens 38, Miami Dolphins 6

Here are the top-graded players and biggest takeaways from Baltimore's 38-6 win over Miami in Week 13:

Baltimore Ravens

Quarterback grade: Joe Flacco, 81.9

Flacco’s accuracy leads Baltimore to win

Flacco completed 36 of his 47 pass attempts for 379 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. Flacco was 7-of-14 for 61 yards passing under pressure, throwing one touchdown and one interception. Flacco was 2-of-5 with 33 yards using play-action. Flacco was impressive on shorter and intermediate passes, finding receivers in the soft spots of Miami’s zone coverage and leading Baltimore’s offense to a big performance.

Top offensive grades:

QB Joe Flacco, 81.9

G Marshal Yanda, 80.4

RB Terrance West, 78

TE Dennis Pitta, 76.1

C Jeremy Zuttah, 74.2

Ravens offense clicks in win

Baltimore’s formula for success was found through the air. The Ravens tight ends performed well in finding the open spots in the Dolphins secondary, led by tight end Dennis Pitta’s nine receptions on 10 targets (with one drop) for 88 yards. Running back Terrance West was effective on his carries in the running game, causing three missed tackles on 10 attempts and averaging 3.2 yards after contact. Guard Marshal Yanda was great at protecting Flacco, as he yielded no sacks, hits, or hurries on 47 pass-blocking snaps.

Top defensive grades:

CB Tavon Young, 91.7

S Lardarius Webb, 81.3

ED Terrell Suggs, 80.8

DI Brent Urban, 79.6        

S Eric Weddle, 79.6

Ravens defense shuts down Dolphins

Tavon Young performed well in the Ravens secondary, yielding two receptions on three targets for four yards. Defensive end Brent Urban was productive rushing the passer, with one sack and two hurries on nine snaps rushing the passer, while linebacker Terrell Suggs added two hits and four hurries on 33 pass-rush snaps. Timmy Jernigan played well in run defense against the Dolphins' zone scheme. The Ravens defense collectively produced a solid effort in the win.

Miami Dolphins

Quarterback grade: Ryan Tannehill, 33.8

Tannehill struggles with turnovers

Ryan Tannehill completed 29 of his 40 pass attempts for 226 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Tannehill was 12-of-18 for 116 yards under pressure, with all three of his interceptions thrown under pressure. Tannehill was 7-of-9 on play-action passes for 45 yards, with his lone touchdown coming off of play-action. Tannehill was 0-for-2 on his pass attempts of 20 yards or more.

Top offensive grades:

RB Jay Ajayi, 77.7

TE Dion Sims, 74.8

WR Jarvis Landry, 70.9

WR DeVante Parker, 70.9

G Jermon Bushrod, 68.5

Dolphins never find offensive rhythm

Baltimore’s offensive efficiency combined with Miami’s turnovers left the Dolphins looking for productivity on offense. Jay Ajayi had a nice day for Miami, as he caused seven missed tackles on 12 rushes and averaged 4.67 yards after contact running behind the Dolphins zone-blocking scheme. Tight end Dion Sims had an efficient day, catching all three of his targets deemed “catchable” for 39 yards, and produced some nice work in run-blocking, also.

Top defensive grades:

CB Byron Maxwell, 87.9

DI Ndamukong Suh 84.3

LB Mike Hull, 78.7

LB Spencer Paysinger, 78.4

S Michael Thomas, 74.0

Dolphins' passing defense struggles in loss

Flacco’s success throwing to a plethora of receivers against the Dolphins secondary was the story of the game, with defensive backs Tony Lippett and Bobby McCain bearing the burden, albeit in the heavy zone coverage defense Miami employs. There were bright spots for the Dolphins defense, however, as Byron Maxwell had a nice day in coverage responsibilities, as he yielded two receptions on three targets and hauled in an interception. Ndamukong Suh was also a force inside, as he had a hit and two hurries rushing the passer.

PFF Game-Ball Winner: Ravens QB Joe Flacco

PFF’s player grading process includes multiple reviews, which may change the grade initially published in order to increase its accuracy. Learn more about how we grade and access grades for every player through each week of the NFL season by subscribing to Player Grades.

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