Dolphins Week 9 Injury Report: Jay Cutler Set To Start Against Raiders Sunday Night
By Abraham Gutierrez
The final hurdle before Sunday night's showdown between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders was cleared Friday evening, as both clubs were forced to divulge their NFL Week 9 injury reports and official game statuses.
The Fins will look to extend their ongoing win streak over The Silver and Black to six straight games, but there will be lots of uncertainties, particularly at the quarterback position.
Banged-Up Jay Cutler Set to Start Against Raiders
It appears that the Matt Moore experiment (as a starting signal-caller) was short lived. Quite frankly, who can blame head coach Adam Gase for saying "I told you so" after a 40-point shutout loss at Baltimore?
Without much hesitation, Jay Cutler—cracked ribs, and all—was named the NFL Week 9 starter when Miami hosts Oakland Sunday in primetime. After sitting out last week's thrashing, the 2008 Pro Bowler was able to practice and will give it a go.
"You're kind of at the mercy of what happens on each individual play," Gase said, stating that Cutler will not wear additional protection on his ribs on game day. "You can try to keep him out of harm's way, but at the end of the day it is what it is. At some point we're going to have to drop back and throw it. We've got to protect him and get open quick. And he's got to avoid getting hit."
Given how much Miami's offensive line has left to desire in terms of how they've performed this season, keeping Cutler in the game for 60 minutes becomes a much tougher proposition. This is an even more daunting task when the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is thrown into the equation.
"We sure don't need Khalil Mack coming clean or anything on him," said Dolphins offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen. "No quarterback does. But certainly we have to be conscious that it's going to take even more strain than usual to protect him and keep him upright, which will be a challenge this week."
Friday Was A Good Day
For what it's worth, Fins fans should be glad to know that every active player on the roster was listed as full participants in Friday's practice session. That includes back-up quarterback Matt Moore, who appeared in the NFL Week 9 injury report after taking a beating at the hands of the Ravens defense.
Moore, along with three other players, did not have a game-status designation attached, which means they will all be at Gase's disposal. Some of the other names on this list include center Mike Pouncey (hip/knee), linebacker Mike Hull (ankle) and cornerback Bobby McCain (hamstring).
Miami Dolphins NFL Week 9 Injury Report & Game Statuses
Questionable
- (DE) Andre Branch (Groin) --Limited Participation in Practice
- (DE) William Hayes (Hamstring) --Did Not Participate In Practice
- (G) Jermon Bushrod (Hand) --Full Participation in Practice
- (QB) Jay Cutler (Ribs) --Full Participation in Practice
- (WR) DeVante Parker (Ankle) --Full Participation in Practice
No Game-Status Designation (Will Be Available)
- (C) Mike Pouncey (Hip/Knee) --Did Not Participate In Practice
- (CB) Bobby McCain (Hamstring) --Full Participation in Practice
- (QB) Matt Moore (Undisclosed) --Did Not Participate In Practice
- (LB) Mike Hull (Ankle) --Full Participation in Practice