Ravens clinch No. 1 seed in AFC with convincing 56-19 blowout of Dolphins

The road to the AFC’s Super Bowl berth now goes through Baltimore.

The Ravens clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference with a 56-19 win over Miami to string consecutive statement wins against playoff teams.

Credit Lamar Jackson’s perfect (passer rating) day, Jackson earning the top 158.3 efficiency rating as he threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns to just three incompletions.

The Ravens’ dream day couldn’t have gone much worse for the Dolphins. Not only did the Dolphins struggle against a conference team, but also they failed to clinch the NFC East and suffered concerning injuries in the process.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained an injury to his left, throwing shoulder in the fourth quarter, shortly before Dolphins star pass rusher Bradley Chubb was carted off with a non-contact leg injury.

The injury bug hit Miami early when starting cornerback Xavien Howard exited with a foot injury on the Ravens’ first pass of the day.

The injuries contextualize, but don’t mute, the completeness of the Ravens’ win.

Dolphins started strong then faltered

Jackson and the Ravens defense had already balled out six days earlier in a nationally televised upset of the San Francisco 49ers.

Their first defensive drive against Miami looked less promising. Perhaps hurting in part without star safety Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore let Miami march handily up the field.

Tagovailoa connected with running back Devon Achane, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and fullback Alec Ingold each for double-digit gains on the first drive alone.

Then, facing third-and-goal from Baltimore’s 8, Tagovailoa pump-faked his first throw before nailing receiver Cedrick Wilson on a high-low concept that forced the Ravens’ defense to wonder whether Hill or Wilson was its intended receiver.

But Baltimore answered. Despite Rashod Bateman failing to survive the ground on a 42-yard pass that was reversed and offensive pass interference nullifying a 26-yard completion to Justice Hill, Jackson distributed the ball a la Tagovailoa with chunk plays to three different targets on the way to the red zone. With 6:39 to play in the first, Jackson dropped back and let a ball rip amid pressure, finding running back Justice Hill between two defenders on the right sideline for a 20-yard touchdown.

The Dolphins stayed alive with a Tyreek Hill 25-yard catch on fourth-and-5 their next drive but ultimately settled for a field goal.

From there, Baltimore took off.

Jackson completed 18 of 21 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for another 35 yards on six carries.

Tagovailoa completed 22 of 38 attempts for 237 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane led all skill players with 137 yards from scrimmage and an acrobatic, airborne touchdown.

Baltimore rookie receiver Zay Flowers led all receivers with 106 yards and a score, on a 75-yard touchdown no less.

This developing story will be updated.