MIAMI -- It really began two weeks ago, the Miami Dolphins' defensive revival.

That's when they held the Buffalo Bills to 122 yards in the first half, containing one of the NFL's most explosive offenses. Cornerback Xavien Howard said Miami went back to a lot of coverages and defensive schemes that made it successful in 2020.

If that game in Week 8 was the first sign of life, Thursday night's 22-10 upset over the Ravens was living, breathing proof that the Dolphins' defense is back.

Howard forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown as the Dolphins shocked Baltimore. Miami entered the game as 8.5-point underdogs but harassed quarterback Lamar Jackson all night, sacking him four times and limiting the Ravens to 4.6 yards per play.

The night got off to an auspicious start for Miami before the game even began, when it was reported quarterback Jacoby Brissett would start in place of Tua Tagovailoa for the second consecutive game. And while neither team could get anything going offensively in the first half -- there were nearly as many combined punts (seven) as there were points (nine) -- the Dolphins' defense was immovable even as Baltimore's began to crack.

Now riding a two-game winning streak after losing seven straight, Miami has winnable games against the Jets, Panthers and Giants before its Week 14 bye, followed by another home game against the Jets. If it keeps up this level of defensive play, Miami could be a .500 team -- which seemed inconceivable during its aforementioned losing streak.

"We did a lot of good things -- kept the score down, kept them out of the endzone for the most part," said Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. "They made a lot of plays, we made a lot of plays. It was a 60-minute battle and really came down to the end."

Pivotal play: This game was treading dangerously close to becoming the second touchdown-free game of the NFL season until Howard stripped Sammy Watkins early in the fourth quarter, popped up off the ground and returned the ball 49 yards for his second career touchdown. The scoop-and-score gave Miami a 12-point lead -- which seemed insurmountable considering the level at which its defense had played to that point. It's the second time this season Howard has effectively won a game; he forced and recovered a fumble against the Patriots in Week 1 to seal the Dolphins' first win of the year.

Promising/troubling trend: The strength in Miami's defense lies in its secondary -- and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer weaponized his defensive backs at every opportunity. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Dolphins stacked the line of scrimmage with defensive backs on 24 plays. Jackson completed 14-of-21 passes for 128 yards with two sacks against DB blitz. He averaged 3.9 air yards on those 14 completions.

"I think Josh [Boyer] did a great job calling the game, he called it aggressively. I think our entire staff did a great job preparing these guys on a short week against a very good opponent," Flores said. "We felt like we had to bring pressure and [Jackson] is a very skilled player, he got out of it a couple times, too."

Biggest hole in the game plan: For the second week in a row, Tagovailoa was not healthy enough to start but he was healthy enough to play in a pinch -- which he had to do midway through the third quarter, when Brissett left the game with a knee injury. Tagovailoa was not the same passer Thursday night as he's been in the past, possibly due to the fractured middle finger on his throwing hand, but he showed enough to prove he should have started. He was aggressive, decisive and most importantly, he didn't play like a quarterback who couldn't push the ball downfield -- as evidenced by his 35-yard completion to Jaylen Waddle.

"[Brissett] I think probably was OK to go back in but we just decided to stay with Tua," Flores said. "He'd hit a couple passes so we felt like we might as well just leave him in there."