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MIAMI — The over-the-shoulder interception was enough to make the video highlights.

“Like playing center field,” Ed Reed said.

His runback was just as special. The Baltimore Ravens safety eluded one tackler, then juked another as he cut back, finding a corridor to the end zone.

“It felt like the 200 in track,” Reed said. “I don’t think I caught my breath until the third quarter.”

Reed was out of breath, but the Ravens were in good shape and on the way to their first playoff win in seven years. They came up with four interceptions, including the one returned 64 yards for a touchdown by Reed, and beat the Miami Dolphins 27-9 on Sunday.

After throwing only seven interceptions during the regular season, the Dolphins’ Chad Pennington had four during a 22-minute flurry midway through the game.

“We heard all week that they don’t turn the ball over,” linebacker Ray Lewis said. “But we force turnovers.” With a rookie coach in John Harbaugh and a rookie quarterback in Joe Flacco, wild-card entrant Baltimore (12-5) won for the 10th time in 12 games and will play Saturday at AFC South champion Tennessee.

“We don’t want the roll and the Ravens’ story to end here,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “We think we are a team of divine purpose.”

The result put the brakes on this season’s remarkable resurgence by the Dolphins (11-6), who won the AFC East after going 1-15 in 2007. The playoff game was Miami’s first in seven seasons.

“It has been a special year. That’s why it hurts so much,” Pennington said.

A soft schedule contributed to Miami’s turnaround, but there was nothing soft about the Ravens. They forced repeated mistakes by a team that tied an NFL record with only 13 turnovers during the regular season.

“We were doing things we hadn’t done all year,” Miami coach Tony Sparano said.

Reed had two interceptions, and Jim Leonhard and Fabian Washington made one apiece. Suggs recovered a fumble to set up a touchdown. Pennington, playing his first game since being chosen the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, was sacked three times and faced constant pressure.

“It always starts up front,” Ravens defensive tackle Trevor Pryce said. “We had some favorable matchups, and we took advantage of them.”

Baltimore’s secondary also had Miami overmatched. Pennington, who finished 25-for-38 for 252 yards, said the Ravens made good plays on three of the interceptions.

“When you get down, you start to play in their hands, because they can start taking chances that they normally wouldn’t take,” Pennington said. “That’s kind of what happened.”

Baltimore allowed just 52 yards rushing, and the Dolphins were limited to seven yards on two plays from the Wildcat, the innovative formation that helped jump-start their revival.

Field position hurt the Dolphins, who started consecutive possessions at their 20, 6, 20, 20, 20 and 2. But the biggest problem was Baltimore’s ball-hawking defense, which led the NFL during the regular season with 26 interceptions, including a league-high nine by Reed.

The Ravens’ defensive performance was reminiscent of their 27-13 victory at Miami in October. The Dolphins won nine of 10 after that to earn an improbable playoff berth.

After the Dolphins’ season ended, owner Wayne Huizenga said the architect of their turnaround, Bill Parcells, has decided to stay for another season.

“It hasn’t been a good day, but it has been a great year,” Huizenga said.

NOTES: Pennington’s four interceptions were a Miami postseason record. ... Flacco completed two passes for 14 yards in the second half. ... Miami went 2-for-11 on third and fourth down. ... Baltimore held the ball for less than 27 minutes after leading the NFL in time of possession during the regular season.