Baltimore (4-9) at Miami (0-13)

Baltimore Ravens Defense
3rd Ranked against the Run
20th Ranked against the Pass
Baltimore Ravens Offense
18th Ranked in Rushing
22nd Ranked in Passing

Miami Dolphins Defense
32nd Ranked against the Run
3rd Ranked against the Pass
Miami Dolphins Offense
20th Ranked in Rushing
26th Ranked in Passing

The contest between Baltimore and Miami is one of only two games this week in which the participants truly have nothing to lose. The Ravens have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, and the Dolphins are desperately trying to avoid tying the worst losing record in the history of the NFL.

Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron has decided to start quarterback Cleo Lemon again this week. Lemon had been relieved of command to make way for the backup QB John Beck’s first start in pro football against the Eagles three weeks ago. Beck’s best performance was in the “Mud Bowl” against Pittsburgh where the Dolphins lost 3-0. In his last start against Buffalo however Beck was asked to sit down early in the first quarter after virtually handing the ball off to Bills safety George Wilson who easily ran it 20 yards into the end zone for his second defensive touchdown of the year. Lemon did make a nice pass to rookie receiver Ted Ginn for 54 yards on his first play off the bench after which Miami scored a TD, but he was still sacked twice and threw two interceptions. Cleo fumbled the ball four times but hey, he recovered three of them. What more could you ask from a quarterback?

The odds definitely favor Baltimore. Even through the Ravens difficult losing season, Baltimore running back Willis McGahee has emerged as a league leading rusher. With the fifth highest yardage tally in the NFL, McGahee figures to have a good day at Miami who now ranks dead last in stopping the run since Denver shut down KC for 16 yards on the ground last week. The Ravens defense may well stifle Miami while McGahee and QB Kyle Boller combine for enough offense to sink the blowholes once again, but with Baltimore’s streak of bad luck this year this is probably the best chance that the Dolphins have to win a game. It will likely come right down to the wire.