Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins (-3)
As ugly as the Dolphins’ Monday Night Football win in New Jersey looked, at least they were fortunate enough to escape with the victory. The same could not be said of the Baltimore Ravens, who led the Chargers, at home, by six points before allowing a last-minute touchdown in a heart-breaking loss. Under normal conditions, the loss by Baltimore would put the team in a perfect position for a ‘bounce-back candidate,’ but the Dolphins are coming off a lull, themselves.
Since blowing out the Chargers 37-0 in Week 9, Miami has lost to the Lions and Broncos, narrowly beaten the Jets, and only has a 13-point victory against the Bills upon which to hang its hat. Quite frankly, the Dolphins have looked great in losses, and poor in wins. However, the last time the team was asked to win a ‘statement game,’ Miami responded with the aforementioned Chargers’ blowout.
A loss for either team will surely spell the end of any division title hopes, but may even cripple its ability to grab a Wild Card berth, as the winner would hold the tiebreaker. Quite frankly, this matchup is probably a make-or-break game for the loser. Once again, the Dolphins were the team most recently successful in such conditions, while the Ravens have proven unable to win key games such as the Week 5 loss in Indianapolis, Weeks 8 and 9 losses in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and Week 13 against the Chargers.
Miami keeps its Wild Card hopes alive with a six point home victory, covering the spread.
