Phin Phanatic
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3 players the Miami Dolphins will have to game plan for against the Ravens

By Nick Belotto

Oct 11, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs with the ball past Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard (53) chases during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs with the ball past Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard (53) chases during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 24: Mark Andrews #89 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball as Ricardo Allen #37 of the Cincinnati Bengals defends during the first half in the game at M&T Bank Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 24: Mark Andrews #89 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball as Ricardo Allen #37 of the Cincinnati Bengals defends during the first half in the game at M&T Bank Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Mark Andrews is one of Lamar Jackson’s favorite targets this season and that could be a problem for the Dolphins defense. If they want to win on Thursday, they’ll need to do a good job of not only containing Jackson, but taking his top weapons out of the equation.

For a defense that has been struggling doing just about anything this season, Miami has done a pretty decent job at shutting down opposing tight ends. They were able to hold Darren Waller to a pedestrian game when they played the Raiders a few weeks ago and have generally had success this season against the position with one exception. When Miami played Atlanta, Kyle Pitts completely torched this defense, but that was an outlier in what seems to be a pretty good matchup in Miami’s favor against the position.

Andrews is having a good season so far, as he already has over 500 yards through the air and three touchdowns (stats courtesy of ESPN.com). He has proven to be Jackson’s safety valve in a lot of situations, so shutting him down should be paramount for this defense. Jerome Baker, Jevon Holland and Eric Rowe are going to need to make sure that they don’t lose sight of him either in zone defense or in man coverage otherwise he could carve up this defense letting Jackson get into a rhythm.

As good as his stats are, Andrews isn’t the same athletic phenom as a Waller or Travis Kelce so Miami shouldn’t have an issue keeping him contained. He’s sneaky, though, and if Miami can’t keep their eyes on him, he could have a big game.

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