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BUCCANEERS at DOLPHINS

WHEN: Sunday, December 28, 2025 | WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium | KICKOFF: 1:00 p.m. ET | TV: FOX

PLAY-BY-PLAY: Kenny Albert | ANALYST: Jonathan Vilma | SIDELINE: Jen Hale

RADIO: 98 ROCK 97.9 FM | PLAY-BY-PLAY: Gene Deckerhoff | ANALYST: Dave Moore | SIDELINE: T.J. Rives

Game day is approaching, and it’s time for the Pewter Report staff to make its weekly game predictions and offer up our game preview of this week’s matchup. Let us know what you think in the article comments section and add your prediction, too.

Scott Reynolds: Bucs’ Losing Streak Continues In Miami

I’m at the point of the season with this Buccaneers team that just don’t have much faith that they’ll win again. I’m trying to find the evidence I need to justify picking them to beat Miami and there isn’t any. After a three-game losing skid against some of the league’s top teams, the Bucs had a goal opportunity to course correct with three winnable games at home against three teams with losing records – all of which were playing backup quarterbacks. The lone win was an uninspiring, three-point win over a three-win Arizona team, followed by two narrow losses to New Orleans and Atlanta.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Then came last week’s narrow loss at Carolina with the division lead on the line. Tampa Bay is running out of chances because they have become a team that has become good at one thing: squandering opportunities to not only win, but also win the NFC South. Should Tampa Bay win at Miami? I think so, but I also thought the Bucs should’ve beaten the Saints, Falcons and Panthers, too. Yet after the loss to the Saints I stopped picking the Buccaneers to win, accurately forecasting losses to the Falcons and Panthers.

Unfortunately as a result, my 11-4 record in picking Bucs’ outcomes this season is far better than the team’s 7-8 record. I’m afraid of what another backup quarterback – rookie Quinn Ewers – will do to Todd Bowles’ troops. I’m also afraid of speedy Miami running back De’Von Achane having a big day against an underwhelming Tampa Bay defense that truly doesn’t really do anything well. And I’m also afraid that Baker Mayfield has lost his early season mojo, as he’s now throwing fourth quarter interceptions left and right. After Sunday the team will be guaranteed a losing season.

REYNOLDS’ GAME PREDICTION: Dolphins 27, Bucs 23
REYNOLDS’ SEASON RECORD: 11-4

Matt Matera: Desperate Bucs Inexplicably Win

Trying to pinpoint how the Buccaneers are going to play is more difficult than attempting to find a needle in a haystack. When they finally get their best receivers back, they commit to a run heavy plan. When they find success getting to the quarterback by blitzing, they stop blitzing late. When they don’t blitz to try to go into halftime with a lead, they blitz and allow a touchdown to blow it.

It feels like there’s going to be an overcorrection on the offense after barely throwing it to Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka and company last game. Expect them to throw often against a Dolphins defense that has talent, but allowed 45 points last game. The Buccaneers have to be aggressive throwing the football and it starts with Baker Mayfield.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jim Dedmon

Is this the week the Bucs slow down a quarterback? They have to going against Quinn Ewers in his second career start. Todd Bowles needs to stay aggressive. I don’t care if that means blitzing Antoine Winfield Jr, Tykee Smith, Lavonte David or SirVocea Dennis, somebody needs to continuously apply pressure in the game. Tampa Bay has to play like a desperate team. The team will find a way to win although it’s not typically fashionable how they do it.

MATERA’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 28, Dolphins 20
MATERA’S SEASON RECORD: 10-5

Adam Slivon: Bucs Respond With Backs Against The Wall

The Buccaneers, for as high as hopes once were, are clinging on to the NFC playoff picture by the thinnest of threads. In order to win the NFC South, Tampa Bay must first beat the Dolphins on the road before hosting the Panthers in Week 18. Miami is not the easiest opponent to get a read on, making this Sunday’s game an interesting matchup.

Bucs OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

No longer is Tua Tagovailoa under center, as he was replaced by Quinn Ewers last week. Ewers held his own through two quarters before falling apart. While the Bucs have made opposing quarterbacks look great down the stretch, the key to this one is stopping De’Von Achane, who is expected to get plenty of touches. The Bucs defense will have its hands full against the lethal speedster. The front seven has to get push up the middle and be ready to sprint to the sideline.

Hopefully Josh Grizzard learned his lesson last week taking the ball out of Baker Mayfield’s hands. A conservative gameplan with the season on the line doesn’t make sense, not with Mayfield having his top four wide receivers. The Dolphins defense is a below-average group, one that the Bucs can move the ball against. I’d expect more of a balanced gameplan, one that does enough to keep playoff hopes alive for at least one more week.

SLIVON’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 27, Dolphins 20
SLIVON’S SEASON RECORD: 9-6

Bailey Adams: Bucs Finally Win A Winnable Game

The Buccaneers have lost winnable game after winnable game in recent weeks, but I think this time around, they actually manage to win one. Whether that means they’ll actually string two wins together and somehow rescue something out of this season, I don’t know. But I think they at least win in Miami and set themselves up with a chance in Week 18 against the Panthers.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: IMAGN – Jim Dedmon

If this was the Dolphins of a few weeks ago, I’d be more hesitant to pick the Bucs to win. But I think Mike McDaniel’s team has shown its last bit of fight in 2025 and the desperation on the Tampa Bay side of things prevails. As bad as Todd Bowles’ defense is, I’m (foolishly) of the belief that it’ll handle its business against a seventh-round rookie in Quinn Ewers.

As for the Buccaneers offense, I think this unit has a point to prove. Baker Mayfield needs to play better, and I think he’ll finally take advantage of having Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka all healthy. Combine that with a good performance out of the run game and this squad does just enough to win on the final Sunday of 2025.

ADAMS’ GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 27, Dolphins 16
ADAMS’ SEASON RECORD: 11-4

Josh Queipo: Bucs Set Up Divisional Showdown In Week 18 With Lackluster Win

The Dolphins are dealing with some fairly significant injuries. Their fantastic center Aaron Brewer has not practiced all week as he is dealing with a neck injury. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has also been held out of practice with a calf issue. Meanwhile, the Bucs appear to be fairly healthy with most of their ‘did not practice’ designations due to resting veterans. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs’ toe issue is one to monitor, but rookie Ben Chukwuma had one of the better debuts this season against Chase Young and the Saints, which gives me hope that Tampa Bay can weather that storm if Wirfs can’t go.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Yet can the Buccaneers weather the storm of self-inflicted mistakes, like flawed gameplans and execution errors? I’m not so sure. The Dolphins will attack the middle of the field where the Bucs are extremely weak. And rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers has shown he can get the ball out almost as quick as benched starter Tua Tagovailoa. These are areas that Tampa Bay struggles in, and I’m not so sure the team has those answers.

And yet, I still have this as a win for the Buccaneers. Provided the coaching staff learned from last week’s poor game-plan and the Dolphins’ vulnerable secondary is attacked, I think they can outscore Miami to set up a meaningful Week 18 showdown against Carolina for the NFC South title.

Todd Bowles should be able to throw enough change-ups to force a few turnovers from Ewers. The Dolphins’ pass rush can be contained well enough to give Baker Mayfield the time he needs to get back on track. Call me crazy, but the Buccaneers win without inspiring any hope.

QUEIPO’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 24, Dolphins 19
QUEIPO’S SEASON RECORD: 8-7