| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
MIAMI -- Jay Fiedler had plenty to prove.
Not to Dan Marino, who criticized Miami's decision to start
Fiedler over Damon Huard and was on hand as his No. 13 was retired
Sunday night. But to his defensive teammates who watched Fiedler
and the offense struggle last week at Minnesota.
|  | | Dolphins Jason Taylor, left, and Kenny Mixon wrap up Ravens quarterback Tony Banks, who fumbled twice and threw an interception in Sunday's loss. |
"The whole team now knows that we have an offense that can go out there and make plays," Fiedler said.
Fiedler was 7-for-7 passing in the second half and led the
Dolphins to two late scores as they beat the Baltimore Ravens 19-6.
On a night that belonged to Marino, Fiedler completed 11 of 16
passes for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
"I'm not going out there trying to be Dan Marino," he said.
"I'm just going out and trying to make the plays that I can make.
Those aren't the plays Dan made, but I don't feel the pressure of
Dan's shadow on me at all."
Fiedler is, however, still playing in the shadow of Miami's
defense.
On a sloppy field and in steady rain, the Dolphins (2-1) sacked
Tony Banks six times and picked him off once. Banks, coming off a
five-touchdown performance against Jacksonville, also fumbled
twice.
"I didn't play well enough to win, but I don't think I slipped
back," said Banks, who began last season as a third-string
quarterback with more career fumbles than touchdown passes.
"We killed ourselves," he said. "We were continually in
second-and-10, third-and-8 and playing catchup. It's going to be a
long ride home. A lot of us envisioned ourselves as 3-0 and playing
a home game this week."
The Ravens (2-1) had plenty of chances to score. They moved the ball 68, 67, 55 and 67 yards on their final four possessions, but
couldn't find the end zone. Baltimore settled for a pair of field
goals by Matt Stover.
"This was not Tony Banks doing anything singular to make us
lose," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "He played as well as
anybody."
The Dolphins, held to a pair of first-half field goals by Olindo
Mare, opened the second half with a 61-yard drive that featured a
pair of nifty plays by Lamar Smith.
Scrambling in the pocket, Fiedler found Smith just past the line
of scrimmage and hit him with a shovel pass that Smith turned into
a 28-yard gain. Smith scored on the next play, starting right,
cutting back left and diving into the end zone.
His 7-yard run gave the Dolphins a 13-0 lead.
"I know our defense is better that we showed," Baltimore's
Duane Starks said. "The key is getting back next week at
Cincinnati and proving this is not a year-round Baltimore Ravens
defense."
Smith ran for 63 yards on 22 carries and scored twice. Thurman
Thomas, who spent much of last week's loss at Minnesota in the
backfield picking up blitzes, added 56 total yards and converted
five third downs.
"We feel like we don't have to do a whole lot," Thomas said of
the offense. "If we score 20, 21 points, then we feel like we're
going to win nine out of 10 times. When I was in Buffalo playing on
those championship teams, I would sit on the bench when the defense
was on the field. That's not the case here. I like getting up and
watching those guys."
The Ravens had 88 yards in the first half, but a majority of
them came on one play. Jamal Lewis' 45-yard run put Baltimore in
field-goal range, but Stover's 30-yard attempt barely cleared
his linemen and was blocked by Kenny Mixon as time expired in the
half.
Baltimore cut the score to 13-3 in the third, but Miami put the
game out of reach with a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Fielder threw a perfect ball to Jed Weaver for a 41-yard gain.
Weaver shook off Ray Lewis and gave the Dolphins a first down at
the 11.
Fiedler, making his fourth career start, capped the drive with
an 8-yard pass to Smith, who slipped past a tackler and reached
across the goal line just as he was falling out of bounds.
Banks finished 19-for-31 passing for 189 yards. Facing consistent
pressure, he settled for short passes to tight ends and running
backs.
Shannon Sharpe led Baltimore with five catches for 56 yards.
Fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo caught four passes for 49 yards.
Thomas, the former Buffalo Bills running back, got all four of Miami's third-down
conversions in the first half, two running and two receiving. He
added another one in the second half -- giving Miami all of its
third-down conversions. The Dolphins were 5-for-12 on third down.
"He's our charm on third down," Fiedler said of Thomas. "I
always know that when things aren't there downfield, I've always
got him to dump it to."
Game notes
Dolphins LT Richmond Webb sprained his right knee and ankle
on a running play in the second quarter. He did not return. ...
Dolphins LB Twan Russell and FB Rob Konrad sustained concussions,
and CB Jerry Wilson injured his right thumb. ... Baltimore averaged
6.6 yards per carry. ... Banks was 11-for-16 for 128 yards in the
second half. ... Mare missed an extra point attempt, only his
second in 99 tries.
| |
ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Baltimore Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
Berman: Marveling at Marino's mastery
Week 3 wrap-ups
Week 3 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 3
Week 3 stats leaders
Prime Time Players
|
