Previewing Dolphins-Ravens: A Baltimore reporter on Miami’s Week 2 opponent

What do you need to know about the Baltimore Ravens, the Dolphins’ Week 2 opponent? The Miami Herald asked Jonas Shaffer, a Ravens beat reporter for the Baltimore Sun, three questions about the matchup.

The Ravens cruised to a season-opening win over the Jets but did so without a few key players — Ronnie Stanley, JK Dobbins, Marcus Peters — who sustained season-ending injuries last year. What’s the likelihood any of them play Sunday?

Dobbins and Peters are seemingly the closest to playing. They were limited in practice all last week — though Peters got one day off to rest — and Dobbins was considered a game-time decision. But because neither ultimately played in Week 1, I wouldn’t expect much more than a backup-level workload in Week 2, if they play at all. Stanley would need a full week of practice to have a chance of returning, and even then, the Ravens may err on the side of caution until he’s ready to start.

The Ravens’ running back room isn’t a strength right now, but I don’t know that Dobbins will look anywhere close to his old self this early in his recovery. A healthy Stanley would be a huge asset against Melvin Ingram and Emmanuel Ogbah, but the Ravens can make do with Patrick Mekari at left tackle, plus some chipping help. Peters’ absence would probably be the most significant. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are game-wreckers, and the drop-off from Marlon Humphrey to the Ravens’ next-best cornerback — especially with Kyle Fuller lost for the year — is substantial. Just having Peters available for third-and-long situations would be huge.

Last season’s defensive performance against Lamar Jackson seemingly jump-started the Dolphins’ turnaround. Is there any reason to believe the Ravens will have answers for Miami’s Cover-0 looks?

The Jets didn’t blitz Jackson a lot in Week 1, so it’s tough to say. He was 2-for-4 for 28 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, and scrambled away once for a first down in the season opener. When I asked offensive coordinator Greg Roman during training camp about the offense’s struggles against man coverage last year, Roman said he put in “extra time” looking for solutions this offseason. Understandably, though, he didn’t give anything away about what those might be: “I think we can do a lot better against man; we have in the past at times. But that’s something we’re really working on. Some of the things we were close on, but we really didn’t do it right, or maybe I could put together some packages better when we know it’s man, that type of thing.”

Jackson put on over 15 pounds of muscle this offseason, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Miami defensive coordinator Josh Boyer probes his mobility with the kind of defensive back blitzes we saw last year. But I’d also be surprised if Roman didn’t have a better fall-back plan this time. Jackson’s willingness to trust his receivers more on downfield routes, which led to wide receiver Devin Duvernay’s jump-ball touchdown Sunday, could also burn a blitz-happy approach.

The Dolphins unveiled their new-look offense with an efficient but not overwhelmingly explosive performance. Where could Mike McDaniel most exploit the Ravens’ defense?

If the Dolphins’ offensive line can hold up against the Ravens’ defensive front and coordinator Mike Macdonald’s assortment of blitzes — and that’s a big if — Tua Tagovailoa could have the same kind of big-play success he did in last year’s surprise appearance. With all due respect to TuAnon, I don’t think the Ravens have to worry too much about deep shots Sunday. They will have to clean up their tackling, though, especially in the back end. Opponents punished the Ravens after the catch last season, and now here comes McDaniel, a coach heralded for his ability to set up players for success in space. I’m especially curious to see how the Ravens’ inside linebackers fare in coverage against running back Chase Edmonds, who looked dangerous against New England. Josh Bynes can be a one-on-one liability, and Patrick Queen still has to prove he can blanket shifty receivers out of the backfield.