Dolphins humiliated by Ravens. This unmitigated disaster could not have gone worse. | Schad
BALTIMORE — After it was over, after the Dolphins had been humiliated by the Ravens, 56-19, after all the key injuries and the passing touchdowns allowed, and interceptions too, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said it could be worse.
I doubt it.
With all respect to Tua's remarkably positive and consistent demeanor, Sunday was an unmitigated disaster. It was catastrophic.
"This is a gut-check for our football team," coach Mike McDaniel said.
It is true that Miami (11-5) can still win the AFC East and secure the No. 2 seed in the conference with a home defeat of the Bills next weekend.
The bad news? With a win, their first-round opponent may very well then be Buffalo, in an unwelcome rematch.
Lose to Buffalo - and this is hardly a guarantee with all we're about to chronicle - and Miami would fall to the AFC's No. 6 seed, with a probable playoff trip to Kansas City.
It's hard to know where to begin.
Let's start with two very key and very potentially serious injuries.
Bradley Chubb's knee injury looks devastating
With the game nearly complete, edge rusher Bradley Chubb left the field on a golf cart with what surely looked like a serious knee injury.
McDaniel said he wished he had a time machine, so he could have pulled Chubb out of the game with the result clearly decided.
Dolphins defenders wanted to finish the game strong, McDaniel explained.
And with the game just underway, cornerback Xavien Howard left the game and was quickly ruled out with a foot injury.
X-Rays and MRI's will confirm the severity, but, like many teams, Miami has been riddled by injury. Unlike all teams, Miami has had some truly devastating ones.
We know center Connor Williams and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips are out for the season and in this game, even Tagovailoa was evaluated for a throwing shoulder injury.
Veteran cornerback Eli Apple was inserted into the game and had some issues, as did fellow defensive backs DeShon Elliott (facing his former team) and safety Jevon Holland (returning from a four-game, knee injury absence).
Miami Dolphins' pass defense was horrendous
Miami allowed eight touchdowns, including six passing touchdowns.
"We’re not going to be happy with how we tackled in open space," McDaniel said.
Lamar Jackson of Boynton Beach High School is the strong leader for NFL MVP, as he passed for five touchdowns and posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Conversely, without Jaylen Waddle and Raheem Mostert, Tagovailoa struggled.
Tua had two interceptions and neither he nor Tyreek Hill will be winning league MVP honors at the end of this season.
"I held my eyes too long on the first interception," Tua said. "It was a poor decision on the second one. I could have checked it down. I have to be better."
The Dolphins have had an exhilarating, successful regular season. But the postseason is going to come to a quick end if Miami doesn't find some answers.
Once again, on a big stage, against a good opponent, Miami came up short.
And the Dolphins didn't just lose. They were smashed. They were routed. This week, Elliott said it would be a heavyweight fight.
This was a decisive knockout.
Ravens, Lamar Jackson, knocked out Dolphins
The Ravens made spectacular plays in this game. There were, for example, multiple one-handed grabs, including one on a key fourth-down conversion for a touchdown.
The Dolphins? Well, they either dropped or failed to convert on three plays that could have put more points on the board.
One of those plays was a failed touchdown catch by Tyreek Hill, who bobbled the ball as he went out of the back of an end zone.
Hill said he played one of the worst games of his career.
As the calendar turns to 2024, Miami can only hope things get better.
After this Sunday in Baltimore, they can't get any worse.
Our Hal Habib Instant takeaways from the Dolphins' loss at Baltimore
Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on social media platforms @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel, Dolphins defense come up short at Ravens
