Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins: Week 17 Matchup Preview & Predictions

Game Overview

One of the more anticipated matchups on the Week 17 slate pits the road-weary Baltimore Ravens against a Miami Dolphins side eager to protect their home field at Hard Rock Stadium. The stakes, the storylines, and the strategic questions all make this a must-watch game.

Baltimore Ravens Outlook

Baltimore's offense begins and ends with Lamar Jackson's legs. When the Ravens can establish the run and control the line of scrimmage, their offense is nearly impossible to stop. The game airs on CBS, giving this matchup national exposure that reflects its competitive quality.

Head coach John Harbaugh has built a team around a RPO-heavy run-pass option attack built around Jackson's dual-threat ability on offense and a aggressive, press-coverage defense with elite safety play on defense. The team's primary strength is Jackson's rushing threat that forces defenses into impossible assignment conflicts, while the coaching staff will look to address their consistency in the red zone when the run game is bottled up in this week's contest.

John Harbaugh's defense is built on physicality. Baltimore takes away the opponent's primary option and dares them to beat them with their secondary or tertiary reads.

Miami Dolphins Outlook

Hard Rock Stadium presents challenges for visiting teams, particularly in the heat and humidity of early-season games.

Mike McDaniel has the Miami Dolphins operating a speed-based, precision passing attack that leverages the NFL's deepest wide receiver corps complemented by a aggressive, pressure-first defense that generates turnovers. Their biggest advantage this week is speed at the skill positions that creates explosive plays against any coverage, which presents a meaningful challenge for the visiting Baltimore Ravens.

Miami's offense is built around getting the ball to playmakers in space. McDaniel's scheme leverages the Dolphins' speed advantage on every down.

Key Players to Watch

Lamar Jackson — QB, Baltimore Ravens

A two-time MVP whose rushing ability makes every Ravens drive a potential explosive play. Jackson's combination of arm talent and running ability forces defenses to account for him on every snap, opening the field for his receivers.

Zay Flowers — WR, Baltimore Ravens

Flowers' speed and explosiveness after the catch complement Jackson's style perfectly. He creates mismatches in space and has become one of the AFC's most dangerous slot receivers when healthy.

Tua Tagovailoa — QB, Miami Dolphins

When healthy, Tua is one of the AFC's most accurate passers. His ability to deliver on time and in rhythm makes Miami's speed-based offense extraordinarily difficult to defend.

Tyreek Hill — WR, Miami Dolphins

Hill remains the fastest receiver in professional football. His ability to threaten the defense vertically on every snap forces safeties to play deep, opening space for other receivers.

Head-to-Head History

The series between the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins has produced several memorable moments in recent years. Home-field advantage has been a factor historically, giving the Miami Dolphins a slight edge in games played at their stadium.

Both coaching staffs have familiarity with each other's personnel tendencies, which typically results in game plans that prioritize scheme discipline over trick plays. Expect this meeting to be decided by execution and which team makes fewer mistakes in the second half.

Keys to the Game

• Special teams execution: Field position is often overlooked but consistently proves decisive in evenly matched games. A muffed punt, a long return, or a blocked kick can change the entire strategic calculus for both coaching staffs.
• Lamar Jackson's rhythm in the first half: The Baltimore Ravens need their quarterback operating in rhythm early. If Lamar Jackson can establish confidence through the first two possessions, the offense will find its footing and put pressure on the Miami Dolphins defense throughout.
• Halftime adjustments: Both John Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel are respected in-game adjusters. Whoever makes the better halftime correction will likely see the benefit in the third quarter when games often swing decisively.

Prediction

Kickoff: Sunday, December 27, 2026 | Hard Rock Stadium | CBS

This is a competitive matchup that could go either way, but home-field advantage tips the scales toward the Miami Dolphins. Mike McDaniel's team has the personnel to exploit the Baltimore Ravens's consistency in the red zone when the run game is bottled up, and their speed at the skill positions that creates explosive plays against any coverage should prove decisive in the second half.

The Baltimore Ravens will compete and keep this game close — Lamar Jackson is too talented to be completely shut out — but the Miami Dolphins should find a way to win. Look for the Miami Dolphins to pull away in the fourth quarter behind Tua Tagovailoa's poise and a timely defensive stop.

Prediction: Miami Dolphins win