BALTIMORE (AP) — The Miami Dolphins were playing out the final minutes of a particularly nasty loss Sunday as things went from bad to worse.
The First Street defense had already been humiliated and beaten by the Baltimore Ravens when star linebacker Bradley Chubb fell flat on his back, unable to move due to a knee injury. A little later, the team’s bag handler was lifted onto a cart and driven into the tunnel.Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel regretted his decision to keep Chubb on the field in the final minutes of the 56-19 loss. “Looking back, I never would have wanted him to be out there if I knew he was going to be hurt,” McDaniel said. “This is a well-known part of the job that I understand completely. It doesn’t seem that smart at all.While it seems unlikely the sixth-year pro will return to play this season, McDaniel grimaced and hoped for a favorable diagnosis.«We don’t yet have the information to find out what it is. We’ll find out on Monday,” McDaniel said. Overall, it was a terrible day for a team trying to upset the Ravens and earn the top seed in the AFC. “We came into this game with high hopes of playing at the level we wanted to play,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. “When these standards are not met, it is very disappointing. »The Dolphins fell behind by 22 points early in the third quarter, and a beleaguered Tagovailoa was unable to erase the deficit due to a one-sided reverse that prevented Miami (11-5) from winning the AFC East.In a matchup between the teams with the conference’s two best records, Baltimore (13-3) dominated the Dolphins to earn a first-round bye and the opportunity to play every home game in the playoffs until at the Super Bowl. If Miami can’t beat Buffalo next week, the Bills would win the AFC East title and the Dolphins would start the playoffs on the road.Miami led 10-7 before the Ravens went on a 28-3 run that filled the second and third quarters. Last year, Tagovailoa led Miami from a 35-14 hole to a 42-38 victory.But this Baltimore team would have none of it. Not only did the Ravens complete two passes and finish the game with three sacks, but Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson also tore apart the Miami defense for 321 passing yards and five touchdowns.Miami could still finish second in the AFC if it beats Buffalo. The Dolphins haven’t finished atop the division since 2008 and haven’t secured a top-two finish in more than three decades. But they will likely be without Chubb, who still has 11 sacks and 74 tackles, including six on Sunday before the injury.“I want to congratulate Bradley Chubb,” Tagovailoa said. “We are thinking of you, brother, and we are praying for you too. It’s hard to see one of our guys go down like that. It’s unfortunate.”Miami’s top-ranked offense was without standout receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back Raheem Mostert, both inactive due to injuries. Waddle ranks second on the team with 72 catches and 1,014 receiving yards, and last year he had 11 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns in Miami’s win at Baltimore.Tyreek Hill had six catches for 76 yards, but also had a bit of a touchdown in the back of the end zone. “I probably played one of the worst games of my career,” Hill said. “As the leader of this team, I just have to brush it off and move on.”In last year’s matchup between these teams, the Ravens took a 35-14 lead into the fourth quarter. That game was 35-13 before a Tagovailoa touchdown pass to rookie running back De’Von Achane with 13:57 left gave Miami hope of another rally. But Baltimore then drove 75 yards in seven plays to make it 42-19 with 9:38 remaining.Tagovailoa was sent off with just over four minutes left due to shoulder soreness that he said wasn’t a problem. At that point, it was almost time for the Dolphins to turn their attention to the finale against Buffalo, a rematch of a game the Bills won at home 48-20 in October.Except the defense stayed on the field and Chubb paid the price for playing during garbage time.
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