Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler missed his team’s Week 12 matchup against the New England Patriots due to a concussion. Now, he will suit up and start against the Denver Broncos in Week 13, head coach Adam Gase announced Wednesday.
Jay Cutler will play against the Broncos after clearing concussion protocol
After missing Miami’s Week 12 matchup against the Patriots due to a concussion, Cutler will return to the field against the Broncos.
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Cutler was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol on Monday, Nov. 20, a day after a 30-20 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11. He was in the NFL’s concussion protocol until Wednesday. Then, the Dolphins medically cleared him.
What happened? On the final play before halftime against the Tampa Bay, Cutler took a hard hit and suffered a concussion. So, the Dolphins decided to keep him out of action for the second half. Cutler threw for 83 passing yards to go along with one touchdown and three interceptions in the first half. Backup quarterback Matt Moore filled in for Cutler in the second half and threw for 282 yards and a touchdown.
The next day, Gase announced Cutler was placed in the league’s confusion protocol. According to Dolphins.com’s Alain Poupart, Gase said, “Jay has really done everything I’ve asked him to do.”
However, Gase didn’t specifically say if Cutler would remain the starter if healthy. Instead, Gase said, “There’s no reason for me to say he’s not.” Gase also told ESPN’s James Walker he doesn’t know how long it would take for Cutler to finish the protocol.
Unfortunately for Cutler, he did not pass the concussion protocol in time for the Dolphins’ matchup against the Patriots. Moore started against New England and threw for 215 yards to go along with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Now, Cutler is healthy enough to play against Denver. This hasn’t been a great season for the verteran, who only threw for 1,602 yards to go along with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine games.
The injury bug also bit Cutler this season. He suffered cracked ribs against the New York Jets in Week 7, which caused him to miss the Dolphins’ Thursday night game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. But it’s great to see Cutler healthy again.
Why is this important? At 4-7, the Dolphins sit fourth place in the AFC East — and their playoff hopes are very close to going up in smokes. Now that Cutler is back in the saddle, he has to find ways to help Miami score touchdowns against Denver.
But luckily for Miami, the Broncos are having quarterback issues of their own with Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Lynch suffered an ankle injury against the Oakland Raiders last week — so Siemian will line up under center. It doesn’t matter who starts for the Broncos because Denver’s offense has been horrible to watch this season.
Miami will need an effective balanced attack to win this game. And Cutler has to make smart decisions with the football.
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