Four Ravens X-Factors vs. Dolphins

In the Baltimore Ravens' crucial Week 9 primetime matchup with the Miami Dolphins, the difference in the game could come down to how an individual player performs when it matters most or over the course of the game, making the most of their opportunities. Here is a quartet of players who could wind up tilting the scales in the Ravens' favor.

RB Keaton Mitchell

It took seven and a half games for the Ravens to realize that they shouldn't let one of their most explosive weapons on offense collect dust on the shelf. The third-year speedster's first touch in Week 8 in the team's win over the Chicago Bears went for 25 yards, and he finished the game averaging 10.8 yards a carry and 109 all-purpose yards after racking up 66 as a kick returner. While five-time Pro Bowl veteran Derrick Henry should still get his 20-plus carries in this game, Mitchell deserves and should get at least a half-dozen carries and a couple of catches on screens. Getting him the ball in space with a convoy of blockers and using his breakaway speed to generate even more big plays makes too much sense not to be a fixture of the offense moving forward.

DB Malaki Starks

Baltimore Ravens safety Malaki Starks (24) tackles Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) during the second quarter. — Oct 12, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Malaki Starks (24) tackles Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) during the second quarter of the game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

If there was ever a more perfect time for the Ravens' first-round rookie to make his first big splash play for the team and silence some of his growing critics, this is emphatically it. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is tied for the most interceptions thrown, with 10, including a whopping 6 in his last three games. There will be plays to be made on the ball at the second and third levels of the Ravens' defense, and Starks could very well end up in position to make one of them at some point, especially if Lamar Jackson and the offense jump out to a big lead and force Miami to abandon the run and air it out in catch-up mode. Even if Starks doesn't end up taking the ball away, even a nice pass breakup to prevent a completion would mark a career first for the former SEC star at the University of Georgia.

FB Patrick Ricard

Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard takes on the field prior the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. — Nov 11, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard (42) takes on the field prior the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

After missing the Ravens' first six games with a lingering calf injury that he reaggravated and had to let fully heal, the five-time Pro Bowler made his long-awaited 2025 debut last week against the Bears. Even though he played just 14 snaps on offense, which were just 22.6% of the team's total, his impact on what had been an inconsistent and poor situational rushing attack was apparent. Ricard delivered a crushing block that put a linebacker on his butt and made key one on the second of Henry's two goal-line touchdowns. Against the Dolphins, he will likely see the field early and even more often as he serves as the Ravens' enforcer and tone-setter in the run game, which they will look to establish at the onset and with authority under a national spotlight.

TE Isaiah Likely

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely runs the ball after catch during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills. — Jan 19, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) runs the ball after making a catch during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills in a 2025 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The fourth-year pro is also one of the most explosive playmakers in the Ravens offense, but he has yet to record more than a pair of receptions in a single game and has just 26 combined receiving yards since making his 2025 debut in Week 4. However, not only was that his first game of the season after missing the first three weeks while recovering from foot surgery, it also happened to be the same game in which star quarterback Jackson suffered his injury.

Their rapport has grown stronger each season since Likely emerged as one of the brightest gems of the Ravens' massive 2022 draft class. In the last matchup between these two team's in Week 17 of the 2023 season, Likely only caught two passes but made the most of them by scoring on both. Similar to Mitchell, he doesn't need an abundance of touches to have a big impact on this game, so look out for him as a threat after the catch as well in the red zone in contested catch situations.

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