MIAMI -- The game plan was sound for the Miami Dolphins: Harass a rookie quarterback in his first playoff game.

Instead, the Baltimore Ravens made life miserable for a veteran.

The Ravens intercepted Chad Pennington four times and forced five turnovers overall in a 27-9 romp, a defensive masterpiece mindful of Baltimore's 2000 Super Bowl championship team.

Linebacker Ray Lewis wouldn't go there. "I preach to our guys, forget the big picture, let that take care of itself," Lewis said. "Let's take care of 60 minutes at a time."

But the comparison is obvious, and not just because Baltimore's playoff run now goes through Tennessee, just as it did at this juncture eight years ago.

Those Ravens are considered among the best defensive teams in the game's history, and yesterday's performance seemed like a sequel right down to the bravado.

"If an opponent plays its best game on a given day, and if we play our best on the same day we'll beat them," defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said.

Nobody was better than free safety Ed Reed. In perhaps a career-defining game, Reed came up with two interceptions.

On the first he flagged down a floater over his shoulder like a center fielder, zigzagged 64 yards and then followed a caravan of blocking for the game's first touchdown.

On the second, he read Pennington's eyes and perfectly timed his break to snuff out a Dolphins' red-zone opportunity.

Reed led the NFL with nine interceptions and owns 43 picks in his seven-year career, but nothing felt better than Sunday.

"This was my first playoff win, and there's a lot of guys in this locker room getting their first playoff win," Reed said.

Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco was a steady hand with few big plays but few mistakes.

He bristled at the idea that game management was his priority -- "I'm going out there to make some plays," he said -- but that's what happened.

Baltimore outgained the Dolphins by merely 10 yards, and Flacco misfired on 14 of his 23 passes. But the Ravens didn't take chances.

They played for field position, punting twice from the Miami 36, and Flacco, the eighth rookie quarterback to start a playoff game since 1970, became only the third to win one.

"My team knows how to win in this league, and that's the way to lose," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. "We were doing things we hadn't done all year."

Miami matched an NFL 16-game record for fewest turnovers in a season with 13. But the Ravens led the NFL with 34 takeaways.

"We heard all week how they don't commit turnovers," Lewis said. "But we force turnovers, and that's what we did."