BALTIMORE -- Remember the thrilling Thursday night showdown between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs last week?
Expect the opposite this Thursday night, when the Baltimore Ravens (3-4) and Miami Dolphins (4-2) bring the NFL's two worst-ranked offenses into prime time.
Baltimore, which is No. 31 in offense, has only scored one offensive touchdown in the past 10 quarters and an overtime period. Miami, which is last in the league, has been held to one or no touchdowns in four of six games.
The Dolphins are likely on their third quarterback of the year, and it's only Week 8. The Ravens are so banged up that they couldn't line up in three wide at one point last Sunday because they only had two healthy wide receivers.
These scoring-challenged teams have combined for more turnovers (20) than offensive touchdowns (19) this season. A high-scoring game would surprise everyone, including the players.
"The way we are playing right now and the way we have played the last few weeks have been pretty conservatively," Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said. "We are probably not going to go out there and put up 40 points."
Flacco added, "Settling for field goals sometimes is winning football."
It's fitting that the Ravens and Dolphins meet on national television after a tough day for offenses last Sunday.
Seven teams failed to score an offensive touchdown, the most in a single day since Dec. 16, 2001, according to ESPN Stats & Information. There were also three teams who were shut out.
Dolphins coach Adam Gase was asked for his thoughts on why offense has been down around the league these days.
"I'm all for it, people scoring less points, considering that we haven't scored a lot of points this year," Gase said. "I'll take it."
The Dolphins are the only team in the NFL that hasn't produced a 40-yard play. They rank last in the NFL in yards per play and per game.
Miami is now expected to turn to Matt Moore at quarterback. Moore would replace injured Jay Cutler (cracked ribs), who had replaced Ryan Tannehill (knee).
There is hope that this change at quarterback will change the Dolphins' fortune on offense. In Sunday's 31-28 victory over the New York Jets, Moore came off the bench to rally Miami from a 14-point deficit in the final 12 minutes, throwing two late touchdown passes.
"You don't have any doubt when he goes in there that he's going to make something happen and give yourself a chance to win the thing," Dolphins offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said. "He's an electric guy. He works every day. He comes out there and he's the pied piper. He takes the young guys under his wing. He's a popular guy in the locker room and I think that his energy is contagious."
The Ravens have become experts at replacing offensive players. Baltimore has nine offensive players on injured reserve, a list that includes Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda, running backs Danny Woodhead and Kenneth Dixon and starting left guard Alex Lewis. Last Sunday, six of the seven inactives were offensive players and half of them were starters (wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, running back Terrance West and guard Matt Skura).
As a result, the Ravens are on pace for the second-fewest yards in the franchise's 22-year history.
"I feel like need to try to get our swagger back," Ravens offensive tackle Austin Howard said. "We started the season with a lot of confidence. Despite the players we lost, we still have to figure out a way to to get our swagger back."
The last time the worst two offenses played in the same game was Week 17 of the 2015 season, when the San Francisco 49ers beat the St. Louis Rams 19-16 in overtime. It featured quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Case Keenum as well as seven combined field goals and only two offensive touchdowns.
On Thursday night, the Ravens and Dolphins meet in a game that could also be determined more by the kickers than quarterbacks.
"It may not be easy all the time, but that was never promised when you came into this league," Flacco said. "If anything, you know it is going to be tough, and there are going to be tough stretches along the way. We all have to keep our heads up and come out here and work on the practice field to put that last one behind us and start with a clean slate and go out on this one and get it done."