Dolphins are easy pickings for Ravens

MIAMI —  If the Baltimore Ravens make this road trek to the Super Bowl, they will remember that it began with a marathon run by Ed Reed.

Zig-zagging his way for a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown -- the longest in Ravens postseason history -- Reed delivered the game-turning blow in a 27-9 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

The first sixth-seeded team to win in the first round since the 2005 season, the Ravens advance to the AFC divisional round to play at top-seeded Tennessee on Saturday. One more win sends the Ravens to the AFC championship game.

“Here we come,” said Reed, who accounted for two of the Ravens’ five turnovers. “Here come the Ravens. The team you don’t want to see.”

As the Ravens did in their last playoff victory -- seven years ago -- they won with defense. And no one is more dangerous on this defense than Reed.

With the score 3-3 in the second quarter, Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington threw a wild pass downfield. It was so wild that Reed had to extend his arms and make an over-the-shoulder catch.

Quickly circling around while holding the ball extended in his left hand, Reed went from the right side of the field to the left, before cutting back to the right, where the Ravens’ defense had set up a wall.

Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata provided the first key block, lowering his shoulder to knock wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. off his feet. Defensive end-linebacker Terrell Suggs provided the final block, squashing Pennington to the ground.

The Ngata knockdown had a purpose.

“Honestly, I saw three guys,” Ngata said. “I looked at the fastest guy that could catch Ed Reed. It was Ted Ginn.”

That allowed Reed to stroll to the end zone for his 12th career touchdown and fourth of the season. But this was his first in three playoff games.

“He’s maybe the best player in the game,” Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said.

After his touchdown, Reed put his thumbs together and palms up to make the “U” symbol as a nod for his University of Miami roots. “This is where it all started,” he said.

But the touchdown had more significance on the game.

Reed’s score staked the Ravens to a 10-3 lead. Baltimore never let the Dolphins get closer the rest of the game.

“It did set the tone,” defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. “It put that team on their heels a little bit.”

For once, the Ravens’ coaching staff and fans weren’t the ones worrying when Reed had the ball in his hands.

Reed has been known to take risks on his runbacks. A week ago, he pitched the ball twice, the second one hitting the ground for a fumble.

This time, Reed said he never thought about lateraling.

Asked if it was good to see what Reed can do when he doesn’t pitch it, Harbaugh paused before grinning.

“It’s good to see what Ed can do all the time,” he said.

Known for not wanting to make comparisons, Harbaugh made an exception on Reed’s long return: “I probably haven’t seen any better ones.”

Reed’s return officially went down as 64 yards, but he covered more ground than that. Weaving back and forth across the field, he probably ran more than 100 yards.

Reed made another high-impact play in the third quarter, picking off Pennington’s throw over the middle from the Ravens 15 when the Dolphins were trying to cut into a 20-3 Baltimore lead.

Miami’s turnovers were a surprise because Pennington set a team record for lowest interception percentage. The NFL’s comeback player of the year had seven passes intercepted in 16 regular-season games but had four picked off in three quarters Sunday.

It wasn’t a surprise that half of the turnovers came from Reed. He has intercepted 10 passes in the last seven games.

And when Reed makes multiple interceptions, it’s a bad sign for the opposition. The Ravens are 9-0 in those games.

“The kid’s a freak and he’s the greatest safety alive,” Suggs said. “We know whenever he sees a crease, he’s going to hit it like an offensive player. When he gets the ball, he’s going to go the distance with it.”