Jets vs. Dolphins: Go for the Ball Against Matt Moore

It isn’t that easy to prepare for a starting quarterback who hasn’t started a game in five years. With that said, the Jets should look to test some of Matt Moore’s established weaknesses in tonight’s game.

One of the biggest pertains to ball protection. Moore has started 25 games in the NFL and fumbled 23 times.

If you add up his passing attempts, rushes, and sacks in the NFL, he has 902 times with the ball. That puts him at a fumble rate of 2.5%.

That does not compare favorably with other quarterbacks.

Aaron Rodgers has fumbled just 66 times in 5,367 career touches. That’s a 1.2% rate.

Tom Brady has fumbled just 103 times in 9,076 career touches. That’s a 1.1% rate.

You might be saying, “Stop it, John. Rodgers and Brady are all-time greats. Of course a guy like Moore would be worse.”

Why don’t we take a look at a guy who has been in the league for a long time but whom nobody would say is a stellar quarterback.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has fumbled just 67 times in 4,471 career touches. That’s a 1.5% rate.

Moore’s 2.5% rate might not sound like a lot when you first hear it, but think about how frequently the quarterback handles the ball. The rate might be low, but the amount of time to hit it is not.

The Jets should make a concerted effort in this game to attack the football and see whether Moore has learned to protect it more. It might take a big play or two to win this game against a better opponent.