OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens quarterback Ryan Mallett got the last word -- and laugh -- after taking a shot to the throat from Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Mallett waited to deliver his retaliation on social media, posting on Instagram that "I guess you could say we strangled them."
The incident between Mallett and Suh occurred midway through the fourth quarter of the Ravens' 40-0 rout of the Dolphins, when Suh jumped offside and shoved Mallett after the quarterback had already handed off the ball. Mallett jumped in Suh's face and knocked his facemask into the 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman.
That led to Suh grabbing Mallett's throat with his left hand and pushing him away.
"He came at me and tried to attack me, and I'm protecting myself," Suh said after the game.
Asked about Suh’s actions, Mallett told The Baltimore Sun, "It is what it is. It's a game of football."
Mallett then added, "He takes the bait pretty good."
The Ravens declined both penalties on Suh (offside and unnecessary roughness) because they accepted the unnecessary roughness penalty on defensive end William Hayes, who poked right tackle Austin Howard in the eye in a fight that followed the Suh incident.
"This is a man's game, and people want to try to act up, but the fact is we're out here to play a game," Howard said. "That's what we're focused on."