Four Storylines for Ravens' Primetime Matchup vs. Dolphins

Coming off their first win since mid-September, the Baltimore Ravens will be facing off with the Miami Dolphins in primetime to kick off Week 9. There are several intriguing storylines surrounding this massively important matchup of two teams that have just two wins and are looking to keep their respective playoff hopes alive. Here are the top four.

Lamar Jackson is finally back!

After missing the Ravens' last three games with a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 4, the two-time league MVP will officially be making his long-awaited return to the lineup as the team's starter. He has had some of the most prolific performances of his career as a passer against the Dolphins, including throwing 5 touchdowns and finishing with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in his first (2019) and fourth (2023) time facing them as a starter. He told reporters in an early week practice that he feels great and doesn't expect to experience any rust in his first live action in over a month. If that proves to be true, the South Florida native could wind up having another homecoming to remember.

"It is not about Miami, or me going down there to Florida and playing; it's about any Sunday, any Thursday [or] any Monday – it really doesn't matter," Jackson said. "I just want to play football, have fun and get a win; that's all I am focused on. I don't really care about the area."

Can defense keep stacking?

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passes the ball under pressure from Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith. — Oct 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) passes the ball under pressure from Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) in the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

For the second year in a row, the Ravens are starting to turn their fortunes around on this side of the ball after the unit began the season as a glaring liability. Unlike last year, when they were still winning despite their defense, the process began sooner this time around. It took until after a one-point win in a Week 10 down-to-the-wire thriller against the Bengals for them to have a 'Come to Jesus' meeting before some personnel and schematic changes were made.

This year's turnaround began before their bye when they acquired veteran safety Alohi Gilman in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers and started getting some of their injured All Pros back in the lineup. They held the Los Angeles Rams' high-octane and well-balanced offense to season lows across the board, including just 17 points and followed it up by doing the same to a surging Chicago Bears unit to 16 points and under 100 yards rushing.

Second-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr's manufactured pressures and blitzes were a big part of their recipe for success in Week 8 against the Bears. However, going up against a quick-strike Miami offense that even without eight-time Pro Bowler Tyreek Hill, is still chock-full of speedsters at the skill positions, they might night need to more selective and deceptive when sending extra bodies in the rush or simulating because the Dolphins specialize in getting their playmakers the ball in space with blockers in front as a convoy.

Zay Flowers homecoming

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers reacts after a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in primetime on Oct 21, 2024. — Oct 21, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) reacts after a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

While much is being made about Jackson returning to the lineup for the first time in over a month in his home state, he is far from the only player on the team that hails from the Sunshine State and the southern region specifically. The Ravens' first homegrown Pro Bowl wide receiver will be playing in the region of the state he grew up in for the first time since he was starring at NSU University School in Fort Lauderdale. Flowers told the team website that he'll have about 40 family and friends in attendance for this game and getting to play in front of them all means a lot.

"That'll be fun, man," Flowers said. "It means something to everybody in Florida because you've got family out there. You go back home and they're probably all Dolphins fans already, so they're probably going to talk a little trash. It's a little personal. It's special."

As a rookie, Flowers played against the Dolphins in the penultimate week of the regular season and had his first career game of posting 100-plus receiving yards by hauling in all three of his targets for 106 yards, including a career-long 75-yard touchdown. That game was in Baltimore, and he'll be looking to hopefully top that in this game with so many familiar faces in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium.

"I think he will be popping out of his skin," Jackson said. "Me knowing Zay, I know he's going to be ecstatic just be back down there in that atmosphere and see his family. I've played against the Dolphins before with Zay, but this is his second time, and it's going to be at home, so I know it's going to be crazy for him."

Ravens get closer look at potential trade targets

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins passes under pressure from Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips in Week 8. — Oct 26, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) passes under pressure from Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

With the 2025 deadline fast approaching early next week, the Ravens are expected to be buyers, not sellers, especially if they emerge victorious in this game to establish their first winning streak of the season.

With a glaring need on the edge of their defense, given that they have just three on the 53-man roster after losing sack leader Tavius Robinson to a broken foot, three players they have been connected to in trade rumors will be taking the field against them. Former first-rounder Jaelan Phillips and Pro Bowl veterans Bradley Chubb and Matt Judon are all speculated to be available on the trading block and could be had for different levels of capital.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta spends a lot of his time at the team's games watching from the sidelines, and could very well have his eyes on one of those edge defenders to see which might be worth trading other assets for. It could wind up being player-for-player, pick-for-pick or another mixture of both, as was the case with the Odafe Oweh trade that partially put them in this predicament to begin with.

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