(Baltimore, MD) – In a game that was thought to be quarterback Matt Moore‘s chance to make his case to be made the full-time starter, the Miami Dolphins were embarrassed on Thursday Night Football when they were handed a 40-0 loss at the hands of the middling Baltimore Ravens.
“I mean this one stings, man,” Moore said following the game. “It’s tough, these are hard ones. You don’t ever go into a week preparing and expect it to turn out like this.”
The game was seen as a huge opportunity for Moore after he lead the Dolphins in a stunning comeback victory last week after Jay Cutler went down with several cracked ribs. Following Moore’s dismal performance on Thursday, when he passed for 176 yards and two interceptions which were returned for touchdowns, it seems the starting job sits firmly in Cutler’s hands when he is able to return.
The loss, however, does not solely rest on Moore’s shoulders. The Dolphins performed poorly in all phases of the game, allowing Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco to go 10 for 15, 101 yards, and one touchdown before he was forced out of the game after a possibly dirty hit from Dolphins’ linebacker Kiko Alonso.
Following the game, Alonso attempted to explain the hit as best he could and gave his best wishes to the injured quarterback.
“No. I mean no way,” Alonso said after the game. “That’s the target. When a guy slides the target is very small. I just think it was like a second late, which is why I hit him to be honest with you.”
He also addressed whether or not he thinks he’ll face discipline for the hit.
“That’s out of my hands,” he added. “Like I said, it’s a bang, bang play and I hope he’s all right. I truly do.”
Flacco’s exit did little to slow the Ravens down as backup Ryan Mallet threw a touchdown to complete the drive. The Phins’ defense faired poorly on the ground throughout the game as well, allowing 174 total rushing yards.
“Disappointing obviously in so many different ways, it feels like anything that could go wrong went wrong,” Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake told reporters following the game. “Truthfully not what I expect of the group and it’s a little frustrating.”
Wake, who had two total tackles in the game, did however try to keep things in perspective for himself and his teammates.
“As bad as it is obviously, the feeling, the reality is it’s whether you lose by one or you lose by 100 it’s just one loss and you have to treat them all the same,” he continued. “You have to find out what you didn’t do right and fix it as soon as possible.”
Charged with addressing those problems is head coach Adam Gase, who reflected on his attempt at implementing a more simplified offense for his team.
“That’s what happens when you cut back like that it becomes easier to defend,” he said. “We gotta start doing something right at some point.”
The Dolphins will look to regroup during their 10-day break before facing off against the Oakland Raiders in Miami on Sunday Night Football on Nov. 5.
