Ravens swamp Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - No matter that they entered the playoffs as the AFC's sixth and final seed, the Baltimore Ravens are playing with confidence and talking with a bravado that reflects they are a No. 1 Super Bowl contender.

"Here we come, here come the Ravens, the team no one wants to see," safety Ed Reed said after Baltimore suffocated the host Miami Dolphins with a dominant defensive performance yesterday, posting a decisive 27-9 victory in a wild-card round matchup.

The Ravens forced five turnovers, the signature play coming when Reed zig-zagged across the field with a 64-yard interception return for a late second-quarter touchdown.

Reed's remarkable runback, aided by one final block in which Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington was splattered to the turf, spotted the Ravens a 10-3 lead and they never retreated. Thus, they'll be carrying some hard-charging momentum into Saturday's showdown against the top-seeded Tennessee Titans.

"We know where we're at and we expect to win it all," said Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. "We know we have a tough one next week, but we aren't afraid of anybody."

Tough talk in the NFL is nothing new, but few back up their words with the authority of the big, fast, and physical Ravens, who might wear purple jerseys but who obviously prefer a black-and-blue approach.

They entered yesterday's game determined to win the turnover tug-o-war, realizing that while they created a league-high 34 turnovers during the regular season, the Dolphins were particularly stingy, having turned the ball over an NFL-low 13 times.

Still, the Ravens attacked relentlessly from all angles out of their 3-4 alignment, battering the previously unflappable Pennington into uncharacteristic mistakes. Pennington, who threw seven interceptions all season, tossed four yesterday.

He was harassed throughout, sacked three times, and if it wasn't defensive linemen Trevor Pryce, Haloti Ngata, and Justin Bannon slicing through the heart of Miami's offensive line and controlling the line of scrimmage to force the Dolphins into passing situations, it was linebackers Jarret Johnson and Terrell Suggs - or even safeties on blitzes - bringing the heat.

"We heard all week about how they don't turn the ball over, they don't turn the ball over, but the bottom line is that we force turnovers," said linebacker Ray Lewis, who remains an emotional sparkplug in the middle, leading the Ravens yesterday with nine solo tackles.

"We want to be that kind of a defense - a tenacious, aggressive defense that turns the ball over," added first-year Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

Quarterback Joe Flacco finished just 9 of 23 for 135 yards, a so-so stat line that illustrates how Harbaugh didn't put too much on the rookie making his first career playoff start. Still, the Ravens like to run it anyway, favoring a ball-control style that pairs well with their ferocious defense, and it helps that their top running back, 6-foot, 260-pound LeRon McClain (75 yards, 19 carries) used to be a bulldozing, lead-blocking fullback.

Unlike the Dolphins, whose use of motion and the "Wildcat" package on offense are more deceptive, the Ravens favor the straight-forward approach - on and off the field.

"If some team plays its best game on a given day, and we play our best on that same day, we'll beat them - that's how we feel," said Ryan.

The Dolphins got the early jump, taking a 3-0 first-quarter lead after McClain lost a fumble on the fifth play of the game and Miami's Dan Carpenter later converted a 19-yard field goal.

That had the Dolphin Stadium playoff record crowd of 74,240 buzzing, although the Ravens scored the next 20 points in a stretch highlighted by Reed's dazzling interception return.

The score tied at 3 and Miami at its 19-yard line, Pennington looked deep downfield to his left, where receiver Ted Ginn was sprinting alongside cornerback Samari Rolle. With rookie linebacker Jameel McClain (yes, the Ravens seem to breed pass rushers) surging toward him from his right, Pennington uncorked a long throw, thinking Reed was playing too shallow and wouldn't be in position to help.

But as the throw was in the air, Ginn's feet got tangled with Rolle, and as he fell, Reed sprinted into the area to make the over-the-shoulder interception, a la a center fielder racing toward the warning track. It was Reed's third interception return for a touchdown this season.

"That's a great play by Ed Reed," Pennington said. "Not too many safeties make that play."

Led by such a ferocious unit, the Ravens left Dolphin Stadium yesterday thinking big - and talking big, too.

"We're on a mission, and the mission is the Super Bowl," Reed said. "There is only one trophy I want to put my hands on, and that's why we play this game. There's nothing until you touch that Lombardi Trophy."