Far too many Cutler passes were far, far off the mark
Too many routine passes to open receivers eluded Cutler on Monday
The Miami Dolphins are now 4-5 with another blowout on their 2017 resume… and again, so much was left on the table.
While all the talk from the PPH services was about the Offensive Line being the key to the game, it was Jay Cutler looking like the punter throwing a pass that proved to be the key to the loss.
In yet another 1st Half of too many terrible throws, which seemed meant for the moon, invisible receivers, or moles hiding underground more than the open receivers in white and aqua, Cutler made the case for his benching.
Cutler’s ‘off game’ ultimately led to a mindless 1st Down pick with 45 sec left in 1st half. This mistake was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
With the score 10-7, the Panthers took over in the Red Zone, which was pushed even close by a Julius Thomas 15 yard Personal Foul after the pick. The Panthers quickly punched it in, giving them a crushing 17-7 lead over the Dolphins.
The defense then came out in the 3rd Qtr and decided to play at what seemed like 50%.
But the momentum that led to the disastrous 2nd Half started with the inexplicable play of Cutler… again.
Here are some of the missed opportunities by Cutler:
1st Qtr.
Run Forest, run. A fallen defender and open space would have made for a very nice play for Landry.
Never good when your receiver, who is over the top of the defense, runs with opens arms as the pass sails out of bounds 10 yards ahead of him.
Ball was released well before the pressure came, but the 4-5 yard play was left in the dirt… where the football landed 2 yards short of the open receiver.
Cutler saved some of his worst for the 2nd Quarter
2nd Qtr:
Another dirt ball to a wide open receiver…
And another…
Thomas was about 2 steps in front of the defenders. He had to slow down, reach behind, and catch it out of bounds. This was a 6pts thrown away.
Cutler wasn’t done, and nearly led Landry to the injury list.
Why throw to the two open receivers…
…when you can throw it to the receiver who is double covered.
How many yards were left on the field in the 1st Half? 100? 150?
The defense seemed to have had enough after the interception. You could see the look of resignation and disgust on the face of Cameron Wake… and that combined with the 2nd Half defensive collapse, all that was needed to be said was said.
The defense quit on this game… and Cutler’s inconsistency was the catalyst.
But the reality is a portion of the team quit on Gase for 2 Qtrs… and that’s far, far worse than the loss itself. Can he get them to bounce back? We’ll see. I think so. Or I should say, I hope so.
Gase is a young H.C., who maybe unwisely decided to juggle two jobs at once. Add in that he had an inordinate amount of external issues that made his job harder, and you can see a recipe for disaster. But, Gase made the decision to be the play caller and as made the call to get Cutler and Thomas, and both made jackass decisions on the pick… and the pick began the landslide that ended this game, likely this season… and maybe more.