MIAMI GARDENS — Vic Fangio did his best to put out a fire Thursday.

Two years ago, Fangio was head coach of the Denver Broncos when Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh set him off. In the dying seconds of a 23-7 Ravens win, Harbaugh had quarterback Lamar Jackson run the ball rather than take a knee. Jackson gained 5 yards, which gave the Ravens 102 rushing yards and extended their streak to an NFL record-tying 43 games with at least 100 yards.

Fangio wasn’t impressed, at least not then.

“I thought it was kinda (B.S.), but I expected it from them,” he said. “Thirty-seven years in pro ball. I’ve never seen anything like that, but it was to be expected.”

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Why?

“Because I just know how they operate. That’s just their mode of operations there. Player safety is secondary.”

This Sunday, Fangio and Harbaugh will be matching wits again, only this time with Fangio as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator in a game that could decide the top seed in the AFC. Fangio was asked about the dust-up while talking with Dolphins reporters Thursday. He either had cooled off, was eager to move on or both.

“What happened there was they ran a play at the end of the game instead of taking a knee to get an extra 4 or 5 yards rushing,” Fangio said. “And our players were all upset about it. And the way the timing worked on Mondays after our games, I would meet with the media before any player would, then I'd have a team meeting.

“So I took the hit. I said something publicly. I told the players that so they would let it go to bed and they never said anything.

“So it was one that just finished the story without our players getting involved. I could care less if they run another play.”

It’s worth noting that Fangio saying he knew “how they operate” wasn’t just an idle comment. He was an assistant coach with both Harbaugh on the Ravens and Jim Harbaugh on the 49ers.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Vic Fangio explains ripping John Harbaugh, Ravens in 2021