Buccaneers vs. Dolphins: Preview, score prediction for Week 11
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Miami Dolphins
You wouldn’t know it from the buzz around the team the past few weeks, but the Miami Dolphins are still very much alive in the AFC playoff picture. In spite of losing three straight game, the Dolphins sit at 4-5 on the season, just a game out of the final Wild Card spot.
In order to keep those playoff hopes alive, the Dolphins need to come out strong and put up a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s never an easy task to win a game in the NFL, but this is arguably the most winnable game on the rest of the Dolphins schedule.
If they can’t walk away with the “W”, that may be all she wrote for the season.
Keys to Victory
If the Dolphins are going to keep their playoff hopes alive, stopping Buccaneers stand-out receiver Mike Evans is going to be of paramount importance. The Dolphins defense has been torched in recent weeks. Allowing Evans to run roughshod on the secondary this Sunday is going to be a death sentence. Miami will get a bit of a break this week, as they’ll be facing former division foe Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Jameis Winston. That should help the Dolphins keep Evans under wraps, but the biggest thing they can do is keep Evans away from Xavien Howard at all costs.
No one in the Dolphins secondary has been playing particularly well lately, but the former second-round pick from Baylor has been a particular liability all year long. Miami would be wise to scheme their defense to have rookie Cordrea Tankersley matched up with Evans as much as possible. It’s a large task for the rookie corner, but he’s held up well since replacing Byron Maxwell in the starting lineup. He’ll likely take a couple lumps against a receiver who’s bigger, faster, and stronger, but likely fewer lumps than the struggling Howard.
Stopping Evans won’t be enough to get Miami back on the track to a second-straight playoff appearance, though. If they want to put a stop to their losing streak, they’re going to need to put the pressure on Fitzpatrick early and often. The Dolphins defense has struggled to get home against opposing quarterbacks this season, with just 16 sacks on the season. If history is any indication, putting pressure on Fitzpatrick will force him into bad decisions. And often. Putting the heat on him and forcing a turnover, or several, will help Miami put this game on ice and get back in the win column.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Tampa Bay -1
Moneyline: Miami -105, Tampa Bay -115
Over/Under: 41.5
Prediction
The Dolphins need a win in the worst way. They’re fighting for their playoff lives. More importantly, they’re playing for their pride. They’re coming off of a stretch of three straight primetime games, losing all three. Two losses coming in utterly embarrassing fashion. Miami needs to right the ship quickly, and this is the week to do it. The Buccaneers will present a tough matchup for the Dolphins, but ultimately this is a game Miami needs, and will get.
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A win on Sunday gets the Dolphins back to .500 on the season. With some help, it can get the Dolphins right back into the thick of the playoff hunt. With a brutal schedule coming down the stretch, losing on Sunday isn’t an option. In the game that would have been Miami’s season opener were it not for a hurricane, Miami pulls it out late, winning yet another nail-biter. Just like every other win this season.
Final Score: Miami Dolphins: 24 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 21