Preview for Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
Lamar Jackson will go into playoff mode for the Baltimore Ravens when they visit the Miami Dolphins tonight.
Jackson returns from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for three games to try to inspire a Ravens team that has limped to a 2-5 record and whose playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.
The two-time NFL MVP knows the importance of tonight’s game at Hard Rock Stadium and is determined to make a difference.
“Coach [John Harbaugh] I talked about it with us in a team meeting: Every game is going to be like a win-or-go-home game,” Jackson said. “It’s do or die right now, every week.”
Jackson’s 3-5 postseason record doesn’t inspire confidence that this clutch situation is tailor-made for his return, but the quarterback is at least confident that his right hammer won’t give him any problems.
“That’s what coaching is for,” Jackson said Tuesday. “I feel like we had a great day today. We’ll execute tomorrow. Come Thursday night, we’ll just fly.”
The Ravens will head south, confident they can get their season back on track against a Dolphins team that has a 2-6 record bolstered by a 34-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons last weekend.
Their season is also on the brink with the game against the Ravens followed by matchups with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders.
Coach Mike McDaniel’s job security remains tenuous, but he’s thinking short-term rather than trying to assess his team’s slim chances of making the playoffs.
“I think our team will be what it allows itself to be, and that depends 100 percent on who we play,” McDaniel said. “If we start thinking about the big picture, you start to lose control of that big picture. You have to put one foot in front of the other. … It has to be a week-long mindset and that’s how we got the result in that last game.
“The most important thing is that you really have to look at things. Really, what was the root of our success? It was fairness and focus, commitment, belief, all those things that come from preparation and that I will strive for in a non-negotiable way in all the hours leading up to this next game.”
