Ravens Soar as Dolphins Sink in Thursday Beatdown
October 31, 2025
Are you old enough to remember when the Dolphins were launching their tank for Tua movement all over social media? Well, you should be, because it was only four years ago. The Dolphins famously selected Tua at pick 5 over Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts (2nd round). I hate to talk about what players would be like had they been drafted somewhere else because you never know. Coaching staffs change, ownership can interfere, there can be a lot of turn over that affects development. Though, after this Thursday night matchup, fans can’t help but wonder.
This matchup was dominated by the return of Lamar Jackson for Baltimore, and why shouldn’t it? Tyler Huntley took down the Bears in week 8, leaving the door open for a possible resurgence should Lamar be healthy for TNF. The odds are heavily against them, however, as only four teams since 1970 had a 1-5 start and made the playoffs. Well, spoiler, the Ravens improved their odds a bit with a major statement victory in Miami.
The Dolphins could not keep up with the Baltimore tight end group. By the time Lamar had thrown his third touchdown pass on the night (all to tight ends), they had made up 85 of his 136 passing yards. Zay Flowers would later change that with a few big grabs of his own, but many of the key downs and targets went to the big boys. Derrick Henry pounded his way through the Miami defense as well on his way to a 119 yard night and averaging 6.3 ypc. The Ravens defense hit hard, but Henry might’ve hit even harder during some of the contact plays he had initiated – Absolutely flattening Dolphin defenders that dare get in his way.
Speaking of that Baltimore defense, they forced three turnovers but it sure felt like a lot more than that. Tua was throwing at his receivers feet, getting called for intentional grounding, he didn’t know what he was seeing. The boo birds were out early and often. And it’s a shame, too, because they started off moving the ball so well but just couldn’t establish a consistent rhythm. Ultimately, the night belonged to Baltimore as they improved to 3-5 with a 28-6 victory in Miami.
There has been some talk about both of these coaches being on the hot seat; John Harbaugh will be fine. The Ravens are now poised to make a playoff push with a mega soft schedule upcoming featuring many teams below .500. The same can’t be said about McDaniel. The Achane up the middle plays aren’t cutting it. The creativity is LONG gone and it’s about as dull as a PreK flag football game. They aren’t able to complete the most simple of plays and they’re littered with mental errors from false starts to tripping calls (though that one might not have been legitimate). From the outside looking in, I can’t imagine McDaniel still has control of this locker room. Players don’t perform this poorly if they’re trying to save their coach’s job. The bottom line is it was some ugly football out of the Dolphins, but the Ravens have a lot to look forward to in the second half of the 2025 season.
Keith, Author
Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.
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