The Miami Dolphins were flat out embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens last night, but the win came at a cost for Baltimore. The Ravens' franchise QB, Joe Flacco, left the game in the first half and didn't return after a devastating hit from Dolphins linebacker Kiki Alonso.
Late in the second quarter, with the Ravens up 13-0 on the Dolphins' 20-yard line, Flacco scrambled up field to pick up a first down and as he slid near the 10-yard line, Kiko Alonso met him with a brutal shoulder to the head, knocking Flacco's helmet off. A scuffle immediately ensued as Ravens center Ryan Jensen attacked Alonso while Ravens head coach John Harbaugh came onto the field to confront the Dolphins linebacker himself.
Check out the hit below.
Flacco was helped to the sidelines and the Ravens later announced that he was in concussion protocol. Alonso was not ejected from the game for his hit.
After the Ravens' 40-0 blowout over the Dolphins, players from both sides, including Kiko Alonso, spoke about what transpired on the play.
According to the Miami Herald, Alonso told reporters,
“It was a bang-bang play,” Alonso said. “I thought if maybe he slid a second sooner, I was anticipating him sliding, and not hit him. But I think it was a second late; that’s why I hit him.”
“That’s the target,” Alonso continued. “When a guy slides, and his target is very small, I just think it’s like a second late, which is why I hit him, to be honest with you. At first I was anticipating him, I thought he was going to slide. And then, I had to hit him, because he slid too late. It was bang-bang. I don’t know what else I could have done.”
Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake told reporters, “Kiko plays hard. He plays until the whistle blows. Sometimes things just happen. I don’t like to see anybody get hurt, but it’s football. But I hope [Flacco] is OK.
Dolphins nose tackle Ndamukong Suh added, “I didn’t see it, but I know Kiko’s not a dirty player. He just plays hard all the time.”
Baltimore Ravens center Ryan Jensen, and nose tackle, Brandon Williams, felt it was a cheap shot.
Via The Baltimore Sun,
“I felt it was a dirty hit and Joe’s our franchise guy," Jensen said. "We’ve got to go out and protect him. Joe getting ‘cheap-shotted’ like that, I felt I had to do something to protect him and show him that I’ve got his back.”
Brandon Williams said, “We took it personally. That was a cheap shot. We’re a family. When you mess with one of us, you gotta mess with all of us.”
John Harbaugh said he felt the play was penalized correctly.
“Joe had a concussion and a cut ear. They were stitching it up without any anesthesia, so he's a tough dude. That's as much as I know. … I'm not commenting on (the hit). It was penalized correctly, I would say."
Ravens safety Eric Weddle added,
“I saw it live. I’m not going to say it’s dirty, not dirty, whatever. It’s football. Obviously, you never want to see a teammate get hit. He was sliding, and the guy came in high. They’re trying to take that play out, but it happens. Maybe they’ll look at it in the offseason, and in that situation, the guy should get ejected.”
Baltimore, 4-4, will return to the field next Sunday in Tennessee for a matchup against the Titans.
The Dolphins, 4-3, head back to South Beach for a Sunday Night game against the Oakland Raiders.
