Will Special Teams Be a Factor in Baltimore?

The Dolphins will be facing one of the best kicking game groups in the NFL

The Miami Dolphins special teams played a huge role in the playoff-clinching victory  last week, and another high-level performance certainly would help the cause in the AFC showdown against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

At the very least, the Dolphins need to avoid a disaster like what happened last season at M&T Bank Stadium because as thrilling and spectacular as the finish of the Dolphins' 42-38 victory was, the start was, well, rather forgettable.

Remember Devin Duvernay's touchdown return on the opening kickoff? Well, the Dolphins clearly can't have that. They also can't let Tylan Wallace return a punt for a touchdown, like he did in overtime to give the Ravens a victory against the L.A. Rams three Sundays ago.

"Their kicking game there is been good since for as long as I can remember with John (Harbaugh) being there, and we expect nothing different this weekend," special teams coordinator Danny Crossman said. Thursday. "It's a good group. Every level the specialists are good, the core players are good. They're well coached from top down. So it's gonna be it's gonna be a heck of a test."

Along with the explosive returners, the Ravens also feature one of the greatest kickers of all time in Justin Tucker, even if he hasn't quite been the same old Justin Tucker in 2023.

After entering the season with a 71.3 percent success rate on field goal attempts of 50 yards or longer, Tucker is only 1-for-5 in that department this season.

THE DOLPHINS' BIG SPECIAL TEAMS DAY

Jason Sanders, on the other hand, is 5-for-7 from 50 and beyond this season, obviously including his massive 3-for-3 outing against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday that included two other field goals, including the game-winner on the last play of the game.

Braxton Berrios also is having a very good year as a punt return, tied for seventh in the NFL with a 10.2-yard average.

What's missing from Berrios' resume, though, is a long return because his longest so far is only 19 yards. It's tied for the shortest longest return among the top 20 leaders in punt return average.

The Baltimore game would be a great time for Berrios to break a long return, just like Cedrick Wilson Jr. did in the playoff game at Buffalo last January with a 50-yarder.

Those are the kind of pays that can make the difference in a big game, and Sunday's showdown qualifies as a very big game.

At the very least, the Dolphins should try to break even in the kicking game and then maybe they won't need a remarkable comeback this time around.

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