Gase: "Matt Moore Likely To Start At Steelers"
While some people were still holding out hope that Ryan Tannehill would be able to be under center this Sunday when the Dolphins travel to Pittsburgh for its AFC Wild Card playoff game, head coach Adam Gase pretty much closed the door on that notion.
Gase said Wednesday that Matt Moore will "more likely than not" be Miami's starting quarterback against the Steelers.
Moore, who's started the past three games for the Fins with a 2-1 record, has done a yeoman's job filling in for the injured Tannehill. Since taking over, Moore has completed 52 of 82 passes for 674 yards and eight touchdowns and only three interceptions.
Tannehill sprained his ACL and MCL in his left knee on Dec. 11 against the Arizona Cardinals. Because the ligaments did not tear, the fifth-year quarterback didn't require surgery – making everyone optimistic that he could possibly suit up again if Miami was to go on a postseason run.
Gase named Moore the starter, but he did leave a slither of hope for Tannehill to potentially do his best Willis Reed impression this weekend.
"Matt Moore's preparing for the game, he's the starter," Gase told reporters Wednesday. "Unless something changes drastically here in the next two days or three days, he's going into this thing as the starter."
"I don't want to rule [Tannehill] out yet," Gase added. "I want to see him try to get out there and do something. But if he's not ready to go, we're not just going to put him out there."
The Dolphins are a 9.5-point underdog to the AFC North champs despite defeating Pittsburgh 30-15 in October – the victory that sparked Miami's six-game winning streak after the team rushed for 222 yards against the Steelers defense.