Grading the Dolphins’ 56-19 loss to the Ravens; plus stock up, stock down

The Miami Dolphins had the AFC’s No. 1 seed in front of them, and they blew it.

Not only that. They didn’t even compete very deep into Sunday’s 56-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Now, they go into the regular-season finale needing a win over the Buffalo Bills to secure the AFC East and the No. 2 seed. If they lose, it’s a drop to No. 6, meaning a wild-card trip to Kansas City to face the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Here’s how the South Florida Sun Sentinel grades the Dolphins in several areas of Sunday’s game.

Run game: A-

This is far from the reason they lost the game. Rookie running back De’Von Achane emerged amid Raheem Mostert’s injury absence and went for 107 yards on 14 carries. He flashed his vision and speed for runs of 23, 13, 45, 11 and 15 yards, mostly while the score was still within reach. As a team, Miami went for 6.2 yards per carry. The run game was solid while the game was competitive. The only reason for a minus is that it wasn’t game-changing either.

Pass game: D

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was not good enough to win. Not this game, and not nearly. He was 22 of 38 for 237 yards, two touchdowns and two killer interceptions. Tagovailoa was also sacked three times.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill said he played one of his worst games, and he didn’t do his part in making up for Miami being without Jaylen Waddle. His dropped touchdown on the second drive proved costly in the early going.

Tagovailoa’s first interception, an incredible one-handed snag by linebacker Roquan Smith, played a big part in the deficit snowballing late in the first half. Miami only trailed by 8 at that point, and the pick came three plays after the Ravens’ 75-yard touchdown to Zay Flowers. The Ravens were back in the end zone, from quarterback Lamar Jackson to tight end Isaiah Likely, four plays later. The second interception, an overthrow of Hill into heavy traffic, came right after the Dolphins forced a turnover, halting any idea of brewing momentum.

Defending the run: C

The Dolphins gave up 5 yards per carry, which isn’t going to get it done but it also could be a lot worse against the Ravens’ league-leading ground game. Jackson was mostly contained as a runner, but it was also because he didn’t have to use his feet with what was open to him through the air. His long 18-yard scramble came on third-and-25. Justice Hill escaped for a 41-yard run early in the fourth quarter that set up a touchdown that assured Miami wouldn’t pull off a similar furious rally to what it pulled off in Week 2 of 2022.

Defending the pass: F

Jackson had a staple game that likely stamped him as league MVP, and he didn’t have to do that much on the ground to make it happen. Five touchdown passes. A perfect passer rating. Losing Xavien Howard on the opening defensive series hurt, but Eli Apple has to be better as a replacement. Apple blew the assignment on the 75-yard Flowers touchdown. And the same goes for linebacker Duke Riley, who was beaten on the same route and pick play twice by Justice Hill — one was called for offensive pass interference, and one wasn’t, resulting in a touchdown. Safety Jevon Holland was back for the first time in four games with two injured knees, but he didn’t look to be running like himself.

Special teams: B

Not too much to fault here. Kicker Jason Sanders made his two field goals. Punter Jake Bailey was good with a pair of 48-yard punts that downed the Ravens at their own 11- and 18-yard line. A booming 62-yard boot went into the end zone for a touchback. Braxton Berrios had decent kick returns. Cameron Goode had a bad holding penalty on a punt return as Baltimore punted out of bounds.

Coaching: F

The Dolphins weren’t ready to play a game that had these kind of implications, but way beyond that, coach Mike McDaniel has to step in and pull his starters at the end. Now, the Dolphins will be down valued edge rusher Bradley Chubb because he went down with a knee injury when the team trailed by 30 points with three minutes left. Inexcusable. Players are always going to want to keep playing, as McDaniel said they wanted to leave Baltimore on a positive before the Buffalo game. It’s ultimately the coach’s call.

Stock up: De’Von Achane

There were few bright spots, but Achane provided one. On top of the 100-yard rushing performance against a top defense, the 5-foot-9 tailback went up and skied for a touchdown pass lobbed to him in the end zone. He’s explosive whenever he touches the ball, and that could make him a huge X-factor next week with the division on the line — he also had a good outing last time against Buffalo — and in the postseason.

Stock down: Vic Fangio

This is part of the coaching grade, too. Sure, it was tough losing Howard early, and putting Apple here would be the low-hanging fruit. But Fangio’s stock was previously high with the way the defense has ranked since Week 5. Fifty-six points. Busted coverages. Downfield passes. The Ravens even used a Dolphins-like motion and route concept on the long Flowers touchdown. You’d think this team had seen that kind of stuff all through training camp to be ready for it when an opponent tried it.