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The Ravens play host to the Miami Dolphins in a Week 8 Thursday night matchup!
Dolphins’ key additions: G Ted Larsen, TE Julius Thomas, TE Anthony Fasano, S Nate Allen, LB Lawrence Timmons, DE William Hayes, G Jermon Bushrod, S T.J. McDonald, QB David Fales
Dolphins’ key losses: DT Earl Mitchell, DE Mario Williams, TE Dion Sims, LT Brandon Albert, LB Jelani Jenkins, DL Dion Jordan, QB T.J. Yates
Dolphins’ draft picks: DE Charles Harris, LB Raekwon McMillan, CB Cordrea Tankersley, DT Davon Godchaux, WR Isaiah Ford, G Isaac Asiata, DT Vincent Taylor
Why they’ll lose to the Ravens:
The Dolphins got off a slow start in 2016 before heating up and making the playoffs, but they still had no answer for the Ravens who blew the Dolphins out 38-6 behind some big plays from the offense. The Ravens defense forced three interceptions from Ryan Tannehill and the pass rush brought the heat all day long. Not much has changed heading into 2017 for the Dolphins, as Tannehill returns as the quarterback and the offense looks to improve through growth as opposed to offseason acquisitions. The Ravens defense has only gotten better despite the loss of Tavon Young and Zach Orr. If the Ravens can continue to get pressure on Tannehill and Flacco can produce as efficiently through the air as he did in 2016 when he threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns against the Dolphins, then it should be a relatively easy victory for the Ravens
Why they'll beat the Ravens:
The Dolphins didn't add a lot of talent this offseason, but they also didn't let any walk out the door. Devante Parker is a breakout candidate for 2017, potentially joining his teammate Jay Ajayi who had a breakout campaign in 2016. Factor in that this will be Tannehill’s second season under Adam Gase with emerging left tackle Laremy Tunsil and this Miami team could be a scary one. Something else that has been a consistent theme of this series is again the Ravens’ offensive line. Miami has a good defensive front that they bolstered with Charles Harris. Flacco had a really efficient game against the Dolphins because he was able to stay clean and make all the throws necessary to keep the offense on schedule as they exploded for 38 points. If this Miami team can stay healthy and play up to the level of their talent then they could be a scary team in the AFC in 2017.