Matt Moore received his chance. No, not the San Francisco Giants pitcher - he's had plenty. The Miami Dolphins backup quarterback was inserted in Sunday afternoon's game after a hard hit knocked out Jay Cutler. The team turned to a running attack when the change was made, but there was still opportunity for the lifelong backup quarterback to sling some football and throw an interception. At the end of the day, however, it was he who would have the last laugh in Miami.
Moore leads the comeback
Amid the struggles of the unretired Jay Cutler, Dolphins fans were clamoring for the backup quarterback to get the chance he was seemingly going to be afforded when Ryan Tannehill suffered a season-ending injury before the start of the year.
He finally received his opportunity in the third quarter. Cutler absorbed a hit from the New York Jets and was experiencing some pain in his upper chest. That prompted Moore to enter the game.
At first, things did not go well for the backup. On his first full drive of the game, Moore threw an interception to Jets rookie safety Marcus Maye. The following drive ended in a punt. After that, however, the Dolphins kicked into gear. The next two drives ended with passing touchdowns, tying the game at 28-28 in the fourth quarter. A late interception from Jets quarterback Josh McCown led to a Cody Parkey field goal and a Miami victory, the first of the season for Moore at quarterback.
What's next for Moore
It appears that Moore will lead the team for the foreseeable future. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cutler will miss the next two or three weeks with a few cracked ribs. Dolphins coach Adam Gase didn't say as much following the game, citing the need for an MRI, but it doesn't seem likely that the team would sign a veteran quarterback when Moore has a known command of the offense.
Moore has been on the Dolphins since 2011, when he played significantly due to an injury to Chad Henne. Since then, however, he has only made three starts, with all of them coming last season. From 2013 to 2015, he attempted just 11 combined passes. There's little doubt that he's one of the steadier backup quarterbacks in the NFL.
But he'll now be expected to lead a team that has playoff hopes in their sights after a 4-2 start to the season, albeit an uneven 4-2.
There will be a lot of pressure on Moore to keep the ship afloat for the next few weeks, starting with a Thursday night game against the Baltimore Ravens.
