Miami Dolphins vs. Baltimore Ravens: Who has the edge? A look position by position

No one thinks about special teams until a punt is muffed or a last second field goal is missed.

Justin Tucker is currently the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Tucker holds the record for longest field goal when he kicked a 66-yarder against the Detroit Lions in 2021. Tucker is currently making 86.1% of his field goals this year having missed only once on field goals between 40-49.

Tucker is struggling on field goals greater than 50 this year as he is 1 of 5 from that range. Justin Tucker is 10th in the league in kickoffs as opponents are starting at the 25-yard line, on average. Opponents are returning 15% of Justin’s kickoffs as he has had a touchback on 74 of 89 kickoffs.

Dolphin opponents are averaging a starting field position of the 26-yard line. Opposing kick return units are only returning 13% of Jason Sanders’ kickoffs as he has a touchback on 73 of 80 kickoffs. Jason Sanders has made 84.6% of his field goals this year as he has struggled from distance, missing 2 field goals between 40-49 yards and 2 field goals greater than 50 yards. 

Jordan Stout is averaging 47.5 yards per punt with an average hang time of 4.25 seconds. Stout is also averaging a net punt of 40.2 yards while opponents are averaging 12.6 yards per return. Jake Bailey is averaging 45 yards per punt with an average hang time of 4.49 seconds. Bailey is averaging a net punt of 41.8 yards and opponents are averaging 7 yards per return.

Much like all the other units we have analyzed today, Special Teams is very even. There is a lot to be said about the psyche of a kicker and their mental stability. Sanders’ 5 field goal game against the Cowboys went a long way to boost his confidence. I am riding the hot hand here and giving the edge to Jason Sanders and the Dolphins.

EDGE: DOLPHINS

From our statistical analysis, we can clearly see that these two teams are very evenly matched. Sunday’s game should give us a very competitive matchup with playoff implications and a playoff atmosphere.

Can the Dolphins pull off an upset in Baltimore? Can the Ravens lock up the 1st seed and a first-round bye?

The game will come down to discipline and execution. Whoever can execute better and keep the mistakes to a minimum will give their team the best chance to win on Sunday afternoon. As for me, I am predicting Miami wins a close one, 34-31.