If healthy, Cutler remains Dolphins QB

Nov 20, 2017 - 10:33 PM DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler has taken a beating recently, between the ribs injury that forced him to miss the Baltimore games three weeks ago and the possible concussion that caused him to leave Sunday's 30-20 loss to Tampa Bay at halftime.

But head coach Adam Gase said Cutler, who is in concussion protocol, will remain the starter if he's able to play Sunday at New England.

Gase said Monday that Cutler has "done everything I've asked him to do. There's no reason for me to say he's not" the starter.

Presumably, backup quarterback Matt Moore would start if Cutler is unable to play.

Moore threw downfield significantly more frequently than Cutler in Sunday's 30-20 loss to Tampa Bay, saying: "You have to open it up a little bit, obviously, with the score the way it is."

Moore was right. He entered the game in the third quarter with the Dolphins trailing, 20-7.

But overall, even in that 40-0 loss at Baltimore that Moore started, it's hard to deny Moore's aggressive attitude that leads to a more aggressive offensive attitude overall when he's under center.

Cutler averages 5.91 yards per pass, 33rd in the NFL. Moore averages 6.95 yards per pass.

Gase said he has "no idea" if Cutler would be available this week.

Cutler has a personal relationship with Gase that goes back to their days together in Chicago in 2015 when Gase was offensive coordinator and Cutler the starter.

Although it's highly unlikely the Dolphins (4-6) can get back in the AFC playoff picture, there is a microscopic chance they could win five of their final six games, get to nine victories and see what happens. Or possibly even get to eight victories and see what happens.

Cutler, with his 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions, plus an 82.7 passer rating (28th in NFL), hasn't yet provided much of a spark to an offense that's 31st in scoring (15.7 points per game).

Still, he's the starter for the foreseeable future.

--Miami had 17 penalties for 123 yards in Sunday's 30-20 loss to Tampa Bay. One, a pass interference against tight end Anthony Fasano, negated a touchdown (Miami settled for a field goal). Another, a holding call against guard Jermon Bushrod, negated a 48-yard completion.

Bushrod and left tackle Laremy Tunsil were flagged three times apiece.

"It's correctable," head coach Adam Gase said of the penalties. "It was disappointing it increased when we made the (quarterback) switch at halftime. For whatever reason, we got a little out of sorts as far as what's going on with the cadence."

Miami is second in the league in penalties with 84 and fourth in penalty yards with 635.

--Miami's playoff road is almost closed. The Dolphins (4-6) have six games in the final six weeks -- at New England (8-2), at home against Denver (3-7), at home against New England (8-2), at Buffalo (5-5), at Kansas City (6-4) and finish at home against Buffalo (5-5).

Realistically, in a conference in which eight wins could get a wild-card spot, the Dolphins would have to win four of their final six games. But just to be safe they could assume they must win five of their final six.

Either way, considering Miami is on a four-game losing streak and its once-reliable defense continues showing signs of slippage, a second consecutive playoff berth under second-year head coach Adam Gase seems a longshot.

"We can't be looking ahead and wondering what everybody else is doing," Gase said. "That's irrelevant to us."

--Miami's rushing defense came through on Sunday by limiting Tampa Bay to 53 yards rushing. This comes after allowing Carolina 294 rushing yards and Baltimore 174 yards three weeks earlier.

Weak-side linebacker Kiko Alonso had a career-best 10 tackles, while the defensive line of tackles Ndamukong Suh, Davon Godchaux and Jordan Phillips and ends Cam Wake, Andre Branch and William Hayes also was effective.

The linebackers were especially good including rookie middle linebacker Chase Allen, who started for Rey Maualuga, who was released after his weekend arrest at a Miami nightclub.

NOTES: RG Jermon Bushrod (foot) left Sunday's game in the third quarter and didn't return. His status for Sunday's game at New England isn't yet known. Head coach Adam Gase said he hadn't yet talked to trainers about Bushrod as of Monday afternoon. ... QB Jay Cutler (concussion) remains in concussion protocol and his status for Sunday's game isn't yet known. Cutler left the Tampa Bay game at halftime and didn't return. Cutler has left two games this season with injuries. He left the 31-28 victory over the New York Jets in the third quarter with a ribs injury. ... WR Kenny Stills had one of the best days of his career against Tampa Bay with a career-best 180 yards and seven receptions, the second-best total of his career, against Tampa Bay. Stills has 40 receptions for 588 yards (14.7 yards per reception) and five touchdowns. ... RB Kenyan Drake (seven carries, four yards) didn't have a good day against Tampa Bay. Drake only had one reception for 10 yards meaning he had 14 yards from scrimmage on eight touches. ... DE Cam Wake (6.0 sacks) didn't have a sack against Tampa Bay and has now gone four consecutive games without a sack. ... S T.J. McDonald had five tackles in his second game back from an eight-game suspension. McDonald and fellow S Reshad Jones are still being used interchangeably. ... G-T Jesse Davis started at right tackle against Tampa Bay and ended at right guard after Jermon Bushrod left with a foot injury. Davis could find himself making a start at right guard ext week depending on Bushrod's availability. ... T Sam Young ended the Tampa Bay game at right tackle after RG Jermon Bushrod left with a foot injury in the third quarter. ... MLB Rey Maualuga was released Saturday, hours after his arrest on a battery charge. Maualuga reportedly declined to pay a bar tab at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at a Miami nightclub and that led to his arrest. Maualuga, signed in August after being released by Cincinnati earlier in the offseason, ended with 23 tackles in six games. ... MLB Chase Allen (no tackles) got fairly positive reviews for his start. Allen played 30 snaps and although he didn't make a tackle he was viewed as doing a credible job, according to head coach Adam Gase. It was the second start of the season for Allen, the undrafted rookie from Southern Illinois.



REPORT CARD VS. BUCCANEERS

--PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus - This is a mixed bag. QB Matt Moore (17 of 28, 282 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, 106.5 passer rating) came in and flung the ball all over the field, including hitting WR Kenny Stills (seven receptions, career-best 180 yards, one touchdown) on a 61-yard TD. But starting QB Jay Cutler (6 of 12, 83 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions) was a downer in the first half, before leaving due to a possible concussion.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: D - The big play was RB Damien Williams (10 carries, 78 yards) breaking loose for a 69-yard run on his first carry. Miami ended with 19 carries for 83 yards (4.4 yards per carry). But Williams wasn't necessarily effective with nine carries for nine yards aside from the long run, and Kenyan Drake (seven carries, four yards) did nothing.

--PASS DEFENSE: D - QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (22 of 37, 275 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, 100.6 passer rating) was only sacked once because he got the ball out of his hands quickly. That's been an effective formula to neutralizing Miami's pass rush. WR Mike Evans (five receptions, 92 yards) had a good day as did TE O.J. Howard (three receptions, 52 yards). Big plays were the norm as the Bucs had four plays of 24 or more yards.

--RUSH DEFENSE: A - Tampa Bay had 24 carries for 53 yards, which was a steadying influence. RB Doug Martin (19 carries, 38 yards) had a 13-yard carry, but that was about it. This was more impressive because Miami used rookie MLB Chase Allen (no tackles) in place of veteran Rey Maualuga, who was released after a weekend arrest at a Miami nightclub. Perhaps the most reliable aspect of the team is ready to re-emerge.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: B - K Cody Parkey (2-2 field goals, 1-1 extra points) was perfect and his 26- and 31-yard field goals in the third quarter got the Dolphins back in the game. P Matt Haack (two punts, 53 yards per punt, one inside the 20) was strong. Coverage units were good and the Bucs' missed a field-goal attempt. Miami was good but not enough of a difference-maker here.

COACHING: D - You start with 17 penalties for 123 yards. That's ridiculous. One of the penalties negated a touchdown (Miami settled for a field goal) and another negated a 48-yard gain. Beyond that the Dolphins came out with low energy. It took QB Matt Moore and a few deep throws to get them going. Miami seemed as though it needed a bye week instead of a game.