Miami Vice Grip

The offensive linemen got their due last week, so let's move over to Miami's defense in week five. Prior to the game Baltimore re-committed to make Ray Rice the centerpiece of their offense, and Miami was ready for him. The Dolphins' D limited Rice to 74 yards on 27 carries, less than 3 yards per carry. His longest run of the game was 7 yards. He also had 6 receptions for 28 yards, with a long of 9 yards. Rice had more than 100 yards of offense and 2 touchdowns, but it took 33 touches to get there. He also lost a fumble, forced by our own Paul Soliai!

Baltimore was 6/16 on third down conversions and 2/3 in the red zone. The Ravens had 384 net yards and won the game on their fourth field goal. Miami won the turnover battle 2-0 with Rice's fumble and Joe Flacco's pick six returned by Reshad Jones to tie the game at 23 in the fourth quarter. Miami's defense did all they could to stay in the game, but Miami's running game couldn't get it done.

The ProUte of the Week could go to the entire defense, but one player stood out: Koa Misi. Misi was all over Rice and Flacco, making 7 tackles (three for a loss) and an assist, plus a sack for an 11 yard loss and a quarterback hurry. Soliai had 4 tackles along with the forced fumble, and Derrick Shelby and R.J. Stanford each contributed 3 tackles apiece. It was a solid performance all around, but Koa Misi is the clear cut ProUte of Week Five.