Win Probability Added: +15.63
NEP: +6.15
It seemed like the Miami Dolphins’ season was in the tank when they went into Week 16 without quarterback Ryan Tannehill at the helm. Tannehill had been having a resurgence in his first year with head coach Adam Gase, but severely strained ligaments in his knee will keep him on the mend for most of the playoffs.
Enter Matt Moore, the 32-year old journeyman who had bounced between a few teams in his 10-year career, and has now put up two quality performances in a row to keep the Dolphins afloat. He’s making the simple plays continue to look simple, and the hard plays are few and far between.
A perfect case of this is when Moore hooked up with wide receiver DeVante Parker on a simple crossing route that helped break the game wide open.
Early in the third quarter, Parker ran a crisp short cross with plenty of separation from the Buffalo Bills linebacker that was covering him (there’s a reason why head coach Rex Ryan was fired). Moore went through his progression and found Parker, who bounced off two brutal tackles, then turned on the afterburners to take in a 56-yard touchdown. That put the Dolphins up two scores and set the tone for the second half.