Miami Dolphins Overcome Tampa Bay Buccaneers
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers made quite the impression, rushing for 172 yards and scoring two touchdowns, one of which was a 63-yard throw for his first career touchdown. The Miami Dolphins managed to secure a 20-17 victory over the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
The Buccaneers, now at 7-9, are still one game behind the Carolina Panthers (8-8) in the NFC South. Interestingly, the Panthers lost 27-10 to the Seattle Seahawks on the same day.
If Tampa Bay can clinch a win against Carolina in their final regular-season matchup, they will claim their fifth consecutive division title and make a sixth straight playoff appearance. On the other hand, the Panthers are trying to end a seven-year playoff drought and might still win the division even with a loss, depending on how the Falcons (6-9) perform in their last two games.
However, it’s worth noting that Tampa Bay has struggled recently, suffering four straight losses and not resembling a playoff team in seven of their last eight games. Notably, the last four defeats have all been by just one possession.
Despite facing a significant deficit, with three turnovers resulting in a 145-53 yard disadvantage, Tampa Bay executed a quick three-play, 91-yard drive to narrow the gap to just three points. Baker Mayfield threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans with only 54 seconds remaining.
While the Dolphins’ defense faltered a bit—allowing a 59-yard reception to Chris Godwin that set up the touchdown—they regained composure to recover the subsequent onside kick and halt Tampa Bay’s comeback attempt.
Mayfield completed an impressive 33 of 44 passes for 346 yards, including a touchdown pass to Godwin on the first drive of the game. However, the former No. 1 draft pick has thrown an interception in each game of the Buccaneers’ current losing streak, including two in this match. One was an underthrow to Jalen McMillan, intercepted by rookie cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.
The second interception occurred when the Buccaneers were attempting to close the gap, with the team trailing by ten points midway through the fourth quarter. Mayfield’s red-zone throw was picked off by safety Ashtyn Davis after he narrowly escaped a sack from Quinton Bell.
Following a Dolphins’ punt, linebacker Bradley Chubb managed to sack Mayfield, causing a fumble that Bell recovered.
Ewers, in his second career start, completed 14 of 22 passes for the Dolphins (7-9), who have no playoff hopes left. His first touchdown pass went to rookie receiver Theo Weese Jr., who sprinted 63 yards into the end zone, while tight end Greg Dulcich caught an 11-yard touchdown.
Running back Devon Ashen contributed significantly, racking up 83 yards on 18 carries against Tampa Bay’s top-ranked run defense, averaging a solid 4.6 yards per carry.
The Buccaneers initially took the lead with a 16-play touchdown drive but then fell behind, allowing 17 consecutive points. Chase McLaughlin’s 33-yard field goal narrowed the deficit in the fourth quarter.
Interestingly, McLaughlin, who had made 11 straight field goals from 55 yards or longer, had a 55-yard attempt blocked late in the second quarter.
Ewers returned to the field to orchestrate a drive that set up Riley Patterson’s 33-yard field goal, extending the Dolphins’ lead to 20-10.
Meanwhile, the division is shaping up for a dramatic finish as the Seahawks, powered by Zach Charbonnet’s 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns, converted two Carolina turnovers into touchdowns to defeat the Panthers. Bryce Young, despite throwing an interception, managed to run for Carolina’s only touchdown on a 10-yard dash. However, Carolina’s overall offensive output was limited to just 139 yards.
