The Sunshine State Showdown, NFL style, took place Sunday afternoon in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17.
This was only the 13th all-time meeting between these two teams, with the Buccaneers holding a 7-6 advantage.
Miami took the opening kickoff, and the Buccaneers defense quickly forced a three-and-out. The Buccaneers would then go on offense, and with 5:27 to play in the quarter, Baker Mayfield hooked up with Chris Godwin on a five-yard touchdown catch to put the Bucs up 7-0.
After that touchdown, it would be all downhill for the Buccaneers in all three phases of the game. This was a must-win game for the Buccaneers, but the lack of effort, focus, and overall desire to win was missing. They were shredded by a team that had nothing but pride to play for in losing to the Dolphins.
This game was very similar to the movie Groundhog Day. As Buccaneer fans, we’ve seen this performance from the Buccaneers too many times this season, and as a result, the seat under coach Todd Bowles is red-hot.
With the Buccaneers up 7-0 and driving for a second score, Mayfield would throw his first interception of the game as he overthrew Jalen McMillian, and Miami rookie Jason Marshall intercepted the ball.
The Dolphins would tie it at 7-7 on a Quinn Ewers 63-yard touchdown pass to rookie Theo Weese Jr., who was playing in just his second NFL game. Jamel Dean would jump a route early and could not recover as Weese Jr. toasted him.
With the game tied 7-7, Riley Patterson booted a 29-yard field goal to put the Dolphins up 10-7. The Dolphins would then add an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to Greg Dulich to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
A Chase McLaughlin field goal with 3;49 to go in the third quarter would cut the lead to 17-10. Another Miami field goal would make the score 20-10, before the Bucs played with some emotion and desire, taking the ball quickly downfield, culminating in a four-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Mike Evans, making it 20-17 with just under one minute to play. The Buccaneers attempted an onside kick, but Miami recovered it to preserve the 20-17 win.
There are many issues with this Bucs team.
-They play with zero passion and emotion. You can tell by the body language. Nothing inspiring about their play at all.
-Head Coach Todd Bowles has no answers. He looks as if he is going through the motions as head coach.
-The special teams unit continues to be a dumpster fire as they have been all season. The Bucs had another blocked field goal attempt, their third blocked kick of the season. They have also allowed explosive returns on special teams. Sunday, it allowed a 47-yard kick return, setting Miami up at the Tampa 45-yard line.
-Turnovers have plagued Baker Mayfield. Mayfield had two interceptions and a fumble. The Buccaneers are now 0-7 when Mayfield throws an interception.
-Rookie Emeka Egbuka seems to be the forgotten man. He was not targeted in the first half and finished the game with just three catches for 20 yards.
-The Buccaneers cannot run the ball consistently. The Dolphins came into the game giving up 130 yards per game on the ground, but against the Buccaneers’ run game, the Miami run defense was stellar, as the Bucs could muster just 53 yards on the ground.
It is almost laughable that the Buccaneers are still playing for a playoff spot. There is nothing at all that would cause you to think the Buccaneers can actually win a playoff game.
However, if you’re a Miami Dolphins fan, even though there will be no playoffs this season, the future is bright, and there is a lot to be excited about. Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, making his second career start, looked like a veteran against the Tampa defense, passing for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the Dolphins’ win. Ewers looks like he can be the quarterback of the future in Miami.
There are other pieces in place as well. Running back De’Von Achane ran for 83 yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. He has 1267 rushing yards on the season. Jaylen Wright is a good complementary back to Achane. At receiver, despite getting hurt early in the game, Jaylen Waddle has a bright future in Miami. There is also some depth at receiver with Malik Washington and tight end Darren Waller. Defensively, Bradley Chubb, Jordan Phillips, and Jordyn Brooks, who lead the NFL in tackles, are good players to build a defense around.
For the Buccaneers, they have been a dumpster fire since the bye. They have gone 1-7 since the bye, and this team can still make the playoffs with a win against Carolina next Sunday at home and win the division with an 8-9 record. However, if the Falcons win their last two games against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night and the New Orleans Saints next weekend, then the Panthers would win the division by way of tiebreakers in a three-way tie.
Miami, who is 7-9 on the season, will wrap up the season against the Patriots next week in New England.