Ravens Opponent Breakdown: Miami Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Ravens have a tough matchup in Week 2 against the revamped Miami Dolphins.

To get some sort of answer to five major questions related to Miami, we turned to publisher Alain Poupart of SI Fan Nation's sister site All Dolphins.

1) How much Cover 0 do you expect from the Dolphins in light of last year's success?

AP: That's the big question when it comes to this matchup, isn't it? There are two schools of thought here, the first being that the Dolphins should keep doing it until the Ravens prove they have an answer for it and the other being that maybe the Dolphins will want to give them different looks to try to confuse Lamar Jackson and his offensive teammates.

The other important factor here is that Cover 0 is what the Dolphins do best and do as well as just about any team in the NFL. All that said, I definitely would expect to see a lot of Cover 0 again, and it wouldn't shock me if it happened at the same frequency as last year.

2) Why is Tua Tagovailoa such a polarizing presence?

AP: Let me start by saying that I'd have a hard time believing that there could be any player around the NFL as polarizing as Tua, and I addressed the topic in an All Dolphins mailbag in the offseason. Essentially, it boils down to a combination of factors such as the Dolphins' neverending search for a franchise quarterback, epitomized by the fact the team hasn't had a Pro Bowl selection at that position since 1995, along with Tua's immense success at Alabama, which has convinced some fans that he'll automatically be a star in the NFL no matter what.

But it's gotten to the point around Dolphins' Twitter where it's impossible to say anything non-complimentary about Tua without getting major pushback from his supporters. I mean, there's a Twitter account called Tuanon, for goodness sake.

3) What has Tyreek Hill done for the offense?

AP: Speed, speed, and more speed. What the Dolphins did in the offseason is bringing in a lot of speed, not only with Hill but also with Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert in the backfield. But they're actually slow compared to Hill, who's vide-game-fast. And now with Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins have probably the fastest WR combo in the NFL, and defenses have to curtail their aggressiveness to a degree or run the risk of getting burned deep.

Hill also is practically impossible to cover one-on-one because DBs invariably give him so much cushion. So he helps in many ways.

4) Besides Cover 0, how will the Dolphins attack Lamar Jackson?

AP: I'm not exactly sure on that one, though I would imagine they'd have a spy to prevent long runs by the quarterback. They also could try to confuse him and drop back in the zone, though that's not their preferred method of playing defense.

5) Miami struggled with the run game last week and the Ravens have one of the NFL's best rushing defenses. How will this affect the game if the Dolphins have to solely rely on throwing the ball against the Ravens' revamped, but possibly injured secondary?

AP: First off, the Dolphins don't want to have to rely solely on throwing the ball and they won't get to that point until the score leaves them no choice. Even if they don't have success running the ball, they'll keep at it as long as the outcome is in doubt. Despite all the speed on offense, head coach Mike McDaniel has been obvious that he wants the running game to be an integral part of the game plan — while also stating ultimately it's about moving the ball.

Tagovailoa also is better off with play-action throws and RPOs than being put in obvious passing situations. Making matters even more complicated if the Dolphins are put into must-passing situations are there injuries along the offensive line.

Week 2: @Ravens Vs. Dolphins Preview, Where to Watch, Prediction #RavensFlock https://t.co/uBoNEYa1YH via @toddkarpovich
— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) September 17, 2022