The Miami Dolphins will hit the road for the fifth time in eight games when they pay a visit to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Playing that many games away from home early in the season normally isn’t a formula conducive to winning, but the Dolphins are confounding logic as they reach the midway point of 2010.
Miami (4-3) has won all four road games and will look to remain perfect away from home against Baltimore - the third consecutive AFC North opponent the Dolphins have faced.
The first two matchups with division rivals of the Ravens resulted in a split for Miami, mainly due to a questionable officiating call on a fumble in the end zone that led to a one-point defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Dolphins rebounded from that loss last week at Cincinnati, getting five field goals from Dan Carpenter in a 22-14 win over the Bengals.
It was the second consecutive game in which Carpenter booted five field goals, making him just the fourth kicker in league history to accomplish that feat.
Carpenter has converted 13 straight kicks and 18 of 20 on the season, and he could be in for another busy day against Baltimore's normally stout defense.
Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne was 24 of 37 for 217 yards and an interception in compiling his lowest passer rating (69.3) of the season.
Ronnie Brown rushed for 61 yards on 16 carries and Ricky Williams added 47 yards on nine rushes, including Miami's only touchdown on a 1-yard plunge in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins held the Bengals to 262 total yards and have allowed 54 points in their four road victories. Conversely, they have been torched for 95 points in their three home defeats.
Baltimore, which lost at Cincinnati 15-10 in Week 2, will be aiming for its seventh consecutive home win – although the streak almost ended prior to the bye week.
The Ravens (5-2) needed overtime to squeeze out a 37-34 victory over the Buffalo Bills, the league’s only winless team. The bye came at the right time, as Baltimore has coughed up 57 points in its last two games after allowing an average of 14.4 points through the first five games.
The bye week did provide a bonus for the Ravens, who moved into a tie atop the division when Pittsburgh lost to the New Orleans Saints.
Aside from the 37-point outburst against the Bills, the Ravens have struggled offensively with four of their five wins coming by three points or less.
Joe Flacco threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-31 passing against Buffalo, connecting with tight end Todd Heap for two of the scores.
Running back Ray Rice ran for 72 yards – a shade under his season average – and failed to find the end zone for the sixth time in seven games.
The one constant for Baltimore has been wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who had six catches for 92 yards and one TD against the Bills to raise his season totals to 38 receptions and five scores.
Playing at home after a bye has been a sure thing for the Ravens since 2002 – they are 5-0 in such situations.