Buccaneers at Dolphins final score and immediate reactions
The Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have completed their Preseason Week
1 contest
Larry
Csonka Jersey , with the Buccaneers coming away with the 26-24 victory.The
Dolphins have some things to clean up, but it was, overall, a fairly good
performance for Miami. There were not nearly as many flags and pre-snap
penalties as was feared pre-game. Ryan Tannehill came out and immediately rolled
out of the pocket in a designed bootleg, showing that he can still run and that
the knee seems to be fine. Some of the rookies, like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jerome
Baker, and Kalen Ballage were strong in the game as well. Overall, this game was
fairly vanilla, which is exactly what the first preseason game should be. The
defense basically ran cover two most of the night, and the offense was going
through many of the basic plays in the playbook. There are still some areas of
concern, especially with the cornerbacks outside of Xavien Howard. No one seemed
to step up in this game, and the Dolphins will continue to hold a position
battle for whomever wants to claim the job.The only really major issue for the
night was the injury to linebacker Mike Hull, who sustained an injury to his
left knee and had to be carted off the sideline after being helped walking over
there.The main take-away for this game is simply that the guys are back on the
field and starting to play football. This game means nothing in terms of record
or how the team plays in the fall, but it was important to get the players some
game experience. It was good to see some of the younger players have strong
games. Now the team will get back to training camp practices and continue to
build up toward the regular season.Game RecapThe Dolphins get the ball first and
immediately go uptempo, which is exactly what Adam Gase has wanted since he
became head coach. Ryan Tannehill rolls out on the first play, looking like the
pre-injury Tannehill. The Dolphins convert on a quick 4th-and-1 attempt.
Tannehill throws some nice passes on the opening drive, but cannot connect on
Danny Amendola and Kalen Ballage on the final two pass attempts of the drive and
Jason Sanders misses a 53-yard field goalattempt.The Buccaneers come out and
look to be uptempo as well. Ryan Fitzpatrick gets the start for Tampa Bay, who
will be without Jameis Winston for the first three weeks of the regular season.
Davon Godchaux gets called for encroachment early in the drive, and pre-snap
penalties continue to be an issue for Miami. The short field comes back to haunt
the Dolphins, with the Buccaneers quickly finding the end zone on a Peyton
Barber 4-yard run, but then miss the extra point.Buccaneers 6-0.David Fales
comes in for the Dolphins at quarterback, ending Tannehill’s day. Ballage
bounces the first play outside and gets the edge, picking up 14 yards. After a
sack, Fales found Albert Wilson for two quick long passes, picking up first
downs on both. Jakeem Grant then drew a defensive pass interference penalty.
Fales then missed an open Mike Gesicki in the end zone, then missed him again on
a crossing route, leading to a 29-yard field goal from Sanders. Buccaneers
6-3.Fitzpatrick stayed out on the field for the second drive for Tampa Bay, but
it was another Fitzpatrick who stared on the possession. Dolphins rookie Minkah
Fitzpatrick showed up on multiple plays, breaking up one pass like a free
safety, then playing a short pass like a linebacker and breaking it up too. The
Buccaneers punted. The Dolphins changed their quarterback to Brock Osweiler on
the next drive. Ballage picked up nine yards, with tight end Thomas Duarte
making a beautiful block to spring the rookie. End 1st Quarter.Osweiler looks
deep on second
down
Dan Marino
Jersey , slightly underthrowing Grant who goes up and lets the ball go
right through his hands. On third down, Osweiler somehow avoided a sack, and
found Ballage sprinting toward the line of scrimmage from the backfield. Ballage
got to the first down marker, then jumped a defender and knocked the ball out of
his hands with his knee. The Buccaneers recovered as the ball just lay on the
turf.Jameis Winston entered the game for Fitzpatrick, quickly moving the ball
downfield and into scoring position. Dolphins linebacker Mike Hull was injured
on the first-and-goal play, with trainers tending to his left knee then having
to help him walk off the field. On second-and-goal, Ronald Jones scored, giving
the Buccaneers a second rushing touchdown.Buccaneers 13-3.The Dolphins went
three-and-out in their next possession, losing yards on a sack.Winston would
then again carve the Dolphins defense up through the air. Linebacker Jerome
Baker, however, would come up big a couple of times, both with a play in the
backfield and on a third-and-ten play to sop the Buccaneers a yard short of the
conversion, leading to a field goal. Baker has been quiet so far this summer,
but his instincts appear to be putting him in the right place to make a play in
the second quarter of the game.Buccaneers 16-3.Miami then brought David Fales
back into the game. Fales looked for Leonte Carroo on first down, but the pass
was broken up. The Dolphins running backs then took over the drive, with Ballage
picking up ten yards on a pass, then two yards on a carry, with Senorise Perry
then picking up eight yards on a reception, 15 yards on a carry, 16 yards on a
pass, 12 yards on a run, and a seven yard touchdown pass. The Dolphins running
backs are looking to prove they are not a two-headed monster with Drake and
Frank Gore, but rather a four-headed behemoth coming with Drake, Gore, Ballage,
and Perry.Buccaneers 16-10.After the kickoff went out of bounds, the Buccaneers
started their next possession at the 40-yard line. Jordan Phillips came to play
on the possession, starting with a tackle for a loss on first down, then blew up
the line of scrimmage on the next first down, leading to a Vincent Taylor sack.
Taylor made the next play, stopping a screen pass for no gain, and the
Buccaneers would end the drive with a punt.Osweiler returned to quarterback the
Dolphins after the punt. Miami could not do anything with the
ball
Bob Griese
Jersey , however, as Ballage picked up two yards, then Osweiler found
Rashawn Scott for nine yards then Duarte for three yards, then Ballage for four
yards, before an incompletion led to a punt.The Buccaneers attempted to run
their two-minute offense after getting the ball back with 30 seconds to play,
but were only able to pick up 16 yards before the half.Half time.The Buccaneers
got the ball to start the second half, with Ryan Griffin coming into the game at
quarterback. On second down, however, the Buccaneers would fumble, giving Miami
the ball at their own 13-yard line.Miami could not do much with the ball,
however. They started the possession with a delay of game penalty. After Thomas
Duarte caught a short pass and turned up field for a 13-yard gain, Ballage could
not pick up any further yards and Osweiler threw incomplete on third down. The
team settled for a 23-yard Jason Sanders field goal.Buccaneers 16-13.Tampa Bay
took control of the game then, running a nearly eight-minute drive. Griffin
continued as the quarterback, and the team just picked apart the Dolphins. The
drive featured a 12-yard and a 14-yard gain, but everything else was basically
dink-and-dunk and short runs. The Buccaneers gained 88 yards on the drive, using
17 plays to do it and ultimately scoring on a 10-yard pass. Buccaneers 23-13.The
Dolphins moved quickly on their next drive, with Fales under center again. On
first down, Fales threw a perfect pass to Francis Owusu on a deep post pattern,
picking up 45 yards on the play. After that, however, the team only picked up
another six yards before having to settle for another field goal.Buccaneers
23-16.Tampa Bay would go three-and-out on their next possession.Miami would put
their own long drive together on the next drive, with Osweiler back under
center. Unfortunately, a 16-play, 58-yard drive would result in no points as a
false start penalty backed up the team from the five yard line. On
fourth-and-goal from the three, Osweiler threw an incomplete pass and the
Buccaneers took over on downs.The Buccaneers again held the ball for a long time
of possession, putting together a 61-yard drive on 13 plays, taking up 6:14 on
the clock. However, the drive would still at the Miami 35-yard line, with Tampa
Bay missing a 53-yard field goal attempt.The Dolphins replaced the
Osweiler/Fales quarterback duo with Bryce Petty on the next possession. He
immediately found Buddy Howell on a short pass, then saw the rookie running back
run for 18 yards. Then Petty connected with Owusu deep for 23 yards, getting
down to the Buccaneers 16-yard line. After an incomplete pass, Howell picked up
ten yards on a
rush
Minkah
Fitzpatrick Jersey , then Petty found Isaiah Ford for the six-yard
touchdown. On the two-point conversion attempt, Petty again found Ford to give
Miami the lead.Dolphins 24-23.The Buccaneers, with no timeouts remaining, drove
straight back down the field. Griffin completed passes of 12 yards, 18 yards, 8
yards, and 20 yards before the team ran the ball for two yards and seven yards
to set up a short field goal with just 26 seconds remaining.Buccaneers
26-24.Miami tried to make a last second drive, but, after a roughing the passer
penalty appeared to give the team hope, Petty threw an interception and the
Buccaneers killed the clock.Final Buccaneers 26-24. If the Dallas Cowboys are
for real, they will win their sixth straight game and clinch the NFC East at
Indianapolis on Sunday.If the Colts are for real, they will knock off the
Cowboys and stamp themselves as true contenders for the AFC playoffs.With three
games remaining, Dallas (8-5) is in control of its division, thanks to a staunch
defense and a revived air game with the addition of Amari Cooper. Has any
veteran been more worth a first-round draft pick in a midseason trade?“I didn’t
know we were going to get all that, honestly,'” says NFL rushing leader Ezekiel
Elliott about Cooper, acquired from Oakland. “But when I finally saw him in
person, when I saw him catch the ball, I saw him run around and run after the
catch, that’s when I really realized he’s truly special.”A Cowboys win does the
trick in the NFC East, as would losses by Philadelphia and Washington. Dallas
has almost no chance at a first-round playoff bye, though.So what? The Cowboys
were 3-5 and sinking and now look where they are.Talking about sinking,
Indianapolis was 1-5 two months ago. Then the Colts (7-6) won five straight
before that string ended with an awful performance at Jacksonville. So they went
to AFC South leader Houston, winner of nine in a row, and won.In his comeback
from a 2017 season lost to a shoulder injury, Andrew Luck has been sensational,
working behind an offensive line that has gone from sieve to sturdy. Luck has
been sacked 16 times, second fewest in the league.Indy is in a four-way tie for
the second AFC wild-card slot with Baltimore, Tennessee and Miami.“Most people
call this the dash for cash,” Colts tight end Eric Ebron says. “So you just try
to win.”Two road teams won Saturday, with Cleveland edging Denver 17-16, and
Houston beating the New York Jets
29-22
Kenny
Stills Jersey , and.Baker Mayfield’s 2-yard TD toss to Antonio Calloway
with just under 12minutes left provided the winning margin for the Browns
(6-7-1). They snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Broncos (6-8).Houston’s
Deshaun Watson threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins with 2:15 left.
The Texans are 10-4, and the Jets 4-10.The weekend began Thursday night with the
Los Angeles Chargers‘ 29-28 comeback victory at Kansas City.Philip Rivers led
the Chargers to a pair of touchdowns in the final minutes, then hit Mike
Williams for the go-ahead 2-point conversion with 4 seconds remaining. The
Chargers (11-3) trailed 28-14 before Justin Jackson scored with 3:49 to go.Not
only did the Chargers clinch a playoff berth, they forged a first-place tie with
the Chiefs (11-3) in the AFC West while ending a nine-game losing streak to
their longtime division rivals.New England (9-4) at Pittsburgh (7-5-1)Tampa Bay
(5-8) at Baltimore (7-6)The AFC North has become a jumble with Pittsburgh’s
slump (three successive defeats) and Baltimore’s resurgence.These matchups don’t
bode well for the Steelers, especially if Ben Roethlisberger’s rib and James
Conner’s ankle are factors.The Patriots have won the past five meetings. Of
course, the 2017 version is unforgettable: Roethlisberger threw an interception
in the end zone with 5 seconds remaining after tight end Jesse James‘ apparent
go-ahead touchdown with 29 seconds left was overturned on review. Officials
ruled the catch did not “survive the ground;” James jostled it after stretching
across the goal line.So the league amended the rule in the offseason to allow
some movement by the ball if a receiver maintains possession.New England can
clinch its 10th straight AFC East title with a win or tie and a Miami loss or
tie.Baltimore, meanwhile, will sit the now-healthy Joe Flacco behind first-round
pick Lamar Jackson, who has won three of his four starts with Flacco (hip)
sidelined. The Ravens‘ ground game has been sensational with the rookie behind
center:Jackson has 336 yards rushing over the past four games, the most by any
NFL quarterback in his first four starts during the Super Bowl era. Baltimore
also is allowing an NFL-low 18.5 points per game.Philadelphia (6-7) at Los
Angeles Rams (11-2)New Orleans (11-2) at Carolina (6-7), MondayTop seed in the
NFC is what it’s all about for the Saints and Rams, who lost to New Orleans this
season.The Rams and Saints each clinch a first-round bye with a win and a
Chicago loss or tie, or a tie and a Chicago loss.New Orleans has struggled
offensively the past two weeks, but this is a matchup Drew Brees enjoys. The
Saints beat the Panthers three times last season, including the playoffs. Brees
has completed 76.7 percent of his passes for 2,714 yards with 21 touchdowns and
four interceptions in the past 10 NFC South games and has 46 TDs and 20 INTs vs.
the Panthers, who have lost their past five overall. But Carolina is 5-1 at
home.With the Rams coming off the lowest-scoring performance under Sean McVay, a
15-6 loss to the Bears, they try to avoid falling in consecutive games with
McVay in charge. Indeed, he has won at least two straight after all seven of his
career defeats.Eagles QB Carson Wentz is battling a back injury. He tore up his
knee at LA last year and missed his team’s run to the championship.Tennessee
(7-6) at New York Giants (5-8)The other weekend game at MetLife Stadium; notice
the neutral end zones.New York once was 1-7, yet has a very long shot at making
the playoffs. A retooled offensive line has provided time for Eli Manning to
show he isn’t over the hill, and for rookie running back Saquon Barkley to go
wild.Tennessee has had at least 400 yards in each of the past two games, and
hasn’t managed three straight since Oct. 1-16, 2000. It has allowed the fewest
touchdowns in the league this season, 27.Green Bay (5-7-1) at Chicago (9-4)Miami
(7-6) at Minnesota (6-6-1)Chicago’s last-to-first climb in the NFC North could
be finalized against its biggest rival. A win over Green Bay, which leads the
NFL’s longest series 97-94-6, gets it done. So does a Minnesota loss or tie.The
Bears lead the NFL in turnover differential (plus 13) and interceptions
(25).Green Bay, under interim coach Joe Philbin, must win out for any chance to
play in January. The Packers have won eight in a row at Soldier Field and nine
of the past 10 meetings overall. But with a win, Chicago would finish 7-1 at
home for the first time since 2005.Miami’s stunning “Drake Escape” victory
against New England kept it viable in the AFC playoff chase. The Dolphins are
second in the NFL with 19 interceptions and tied for third with 25
takeaways.Minnesota was overwhelmed last Monday night at Seattle, and fired
offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. In their past three losses, all on the
road
Reshad Jones
Jersey , the Vikings have averaged just 274 yards and 12 points per game.
But they’re at home and the Dolphins are 0-5 on the road since beating the Jets
in Week 2.Seattle (8-5) at San Francisco (3-10)Surging Seattle has won four
straight and its defeats are to opponents who are a combined 36-16, with two of
losses to the 11-2 Rams. The Seahawks have the league’s top rushing team and
have become as stingy as anybody on defense despite being in a rebuild.A win
gets them into the postseason, and they have won 10 straight in this NFC West
rivalry, starting with the conference title game in January 2014. Linebacker
Bobby Wagner , making a hefty statement for NFL Defensive Player of the Year,
seeks his eighth straight game with at least eight tackles. Wagner had 12
tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, two passes defensed and a 98-yard
interception return for a TD in the Week 13 win over San Francisco.Detroit (5-8)
at Buffalo (4-9)Don’t look for much scoring here.With 3,187 yards passing,
Detroit QB Matthew Stafford is in jeopardy of ending his seven-season streak of
topping 4,000 yards. His counterpart, first-round pick Josh Allen, has a
combined 335 yards rushing in the past three games. He’s the second NFL QB to
top 90 yards rushing in three consecutive games, joining Green Bay’s Tobin Rote
in 1951.Arizona (3-10) at Atlanta (4-9)Atlanta might do some scoring here, while
Arizona ranks at the bottom in most offensive categories. Its pitiful 178 points
are 23 lower than the next-worst team, Buffalo. The Cardinals started five
rookies on offense last week.After being held without a TD catch in the first
seven games, Atlanta WR Julio Jones has five in the past six games. Jones leads
the NFL with 1,429 yards receiving and has topped 100 yards in nine
games.Oakland (3-10) at Cincinnati (5-8)Banged-up Cincinnati has been in
freefall, dropping five in a row and seven of eight. This is its final home
game. The Bengals have averaged 51,673, the second-smallest attendance since
Paul Brown Stadium opened in 2000. They’re 3-4 at home.The Raiders fired GM
Reggie McKenzie on Monday, one day after a stunning upset of
Pittsburgh.Washington (6-7) at Jacksonville (4-9)What does a team do when its
top two QBs have broken legs and the third guy has a broken career? In
Washington’s case, it turns to someone who hasn’t started since 2011, is 0-5 in
the NFL and recently had a contract with the startup Alliance of American
Football, Josh Johnson.Redskins RB Adrian Peterson needs 112 yards rushing to
pass Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (13,259) for eighth most in NFL history.
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