Dolphins-Ravens won’t be flexed. And Dolphin coaches dish on Ramsey, Suh, personnel issues
The New Year’s Eve Dolphins-Ravens game, which could determine the top seed in AFC, will remain at 1 p.m. and won’t be shifted to prime time.
The NFL decided not to make any changes to the Week 17 schedule. Packers-Vikings will remain the NBC prime time Sunday night game.
Some thought was given to flipping the two most appealing CBS games that day – Dolphins-Ravens and Bengals-Chiefs.
But the NFL decided to stick with the Chiefs game at 4:25 p.m., because the Bengals (8-6) have played well in Joe Burrow’s absence and because of the popularity of the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.
The start time and date for the Dolphins’ finale against visiting Buffalo won’t be set until New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. The game will be played on Jan. 6 or Jan. 7.
Sunday’s Dallas at Dolphins game will be televised in most of the country by Fox, at 4:25 p.m.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Thursday that the decision to have Jalen Ramsey shadow Jets receiver Garrett Wilson was entirely a byproduct of Xavien Howard missing the game.
Per Next Gen Stats, Ramsey traveled with Wilson during the first three quarters and aligned across from him on 21 of 27 routes (77.8 percent).
Wilson had four passes thrown to him, and the only one with Ramsey in coverage was incomplete. Wilson ended up catching two passes against David Long Jr. (for 24 yards) and one (for five yards) against Brandon Jones, per PFF.
Mike McDaniel said Howard is close to returning from a hip injury.
A potential matchup Sunday between Ramsey and Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb (103 receptions, 1306 yards receiving, 8 touchdowns) will be “worth watching - two really good players,” Fangio said. “Jalen is one of top corners in the league. Wish I had popcorn and was sitting home and watching it.”
Does Fangio consider it a good or bad thing that teams aren’t throwing much at Ramsey?
“It’s just part of the deal,” Fangio said. “Some is by design and some happenstance of coverage we’re in and where reads take him.”
Ramsey has been targeted just 27 times in seven games, or 3.8 per game. By contract, Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland - who leads the league with five interceptions - has been targeted 5.4 times per game, and fellow Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore is targeted 5.2 per game.
Among the Dolphins’ other most used cornerbacks, Howard has been targeted 5.7 times per game and Kader Kohou 5.2 times per game.
Dolphins cornerbacks coach Sam Madison said he “tried to explain” to Ramsey and Howard in the offseason that there would be games where they wouldn’t be targeted much.
“There’s only one football,” Madison said. “I’ve been through one, two, three games where I didn’t even receive a target. They do get frustrated because they don’t get [a lot of targets]... But understanding we’re winning games cures a lot of problems.”
Ramsey has a sterling 19.9 passer rating in his coverage area; only 11 of 27 passes have been completed against him, with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
“He has played well in all aspects - short, intermediate, deep routes,” Madison said. “Where are you going to throw it? Pick your poison. At some point, they’re going to come your way and when they do, you have to make them pay. They’re going to be very slim.”
Ramsey often takes scout team snaps during practice week and Fangio said that’s “not normal, especially at this point in the season. [When he came back from the August knee injury], he needed reps, as many as he could get to get ready. Not doing quite as much [of that] as he did.”
▪ Fangio said Emmanuel Ogbah (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday’s game and Melvin Ingram - who was signed to the practice squad last week - might be elevated this week.
Ingram and Cameron Goode are the options for the No. 4 edge job behind Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel and Ogbah (if healthy).
“Cam did a nice job in [20 defensive snaps against the Jets],” Fangio said. “He knew his assignments and did a good job.”
▪ Fangio said Chubb “has been playing good all year” and against the Jets, “the production was extraordinary.”
▪ Fangio said defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was brought in for a Dolphins visit on Wednesday because the team was “interested to see if he has anything left and if he has mutual interest.” NFL Network said no signing is imminent.
▪ Dolphins quarterback coach Darrell Bevell said Tua Tagovailoa’s “super powers” are his “anticipation, his timing, his vision and his accuracy. He does that as well as anyone I can be around. There is some teaching you can do. Anticipation a lot of times is innate. Vision is some things you can teach.”
▪ Knowing the Dolphins were short-handed at center, Liam Eichenberg played through a calf injury last week, an ailment than come sometimes sideline a player for weeks.
“You can’t say enough what he’s been able to do to help this football team,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said.
