The toughest test of the season for the Miami Dolphins awaits them in Week 17, as they’ll face the first-place Baltimore Ravens in a game that’ll have major playoff implications.
Baltimore, with a 12-3 record, has a chance to solidify home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs while the 11-4 Dolphins are seeking to secure the AFC East crown and first place in the AFC heading into the final regular-season game. At this point, the Dolphins control their own destiny if they want home-field advantage in January.
Both teams are coming off signature wins.
The Dolphins’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys was their first against a winning team, taking a massive weight off the shoulders of coach Mike McDaniel and his team. The Ravens are coming off a blowout of the San Francisco 49ers, who were widely considered the best team in football until that contest.
The Dolphins will have to play to their strengths and neutralize what the Ravens do well if they hope to have a shot. The talent is eminent for Miami. Judging from previous weeks, the team wearing aqua and orange will be ready to rise to the occasion and upset the Ravens.
Here are five reasons why the Dolphins will emerge victorious against Baltimore: