MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, together with a 63-yard toss for his first profession rating, and the Miami Dolphins beat the slumping Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 on Sunday.
The Bucs (7-9) remained one recreation behind the Carolina Panthers (8-8) within the NFC South after the Panthers’ 27-10 loss to Seattle on Sunday.
The Buccaneers would nonetheless clinch their fifth consecutive division title and sixth straight playoff berth by beating Carolina in subsequent week’s regular-season finale. Carolina, which is making an attempt to snap a seven-year playoff drought, may nonetheless declare the division with a loss to the Bucs if the Falcons (6-9) win their last two video games.
However Tampa Bay has misplaced 4 straight video games, seven of its final eight and has barely regarded like a playoff staff throughout that stretch. The Buccaneers’ final 4 losses have all been by one possession.
Regardless of three turnovers and being outgained 145-53 on the bottom Sunday, Tampa Bay pulled inside three after a three-play, 91-yard drive that Baker Mayfield capped with a 4-yard landing move to Mike Evans with 54 seconds left.
A busted protection by the Dolphins protection led to a 59-yard reception by Chris Godwin that arrange the rating, however Miami recovered the following onside kick to finish Tampa Bay’s comeback try.
Mayfield accomplished 33 of 44 passes for 346 yards with a 5-yard landing move to Godwin on the sport’s opening drive. The previous No. 1 choose has thrown an interception in every recreation of the Buccaneers’ dropping streak, together with two on Sunday. The primary was an underthrow to receiver Jalen McMillan that was picked off by rookie cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.
The second got here because the Buccaneers had been driving down the sector halfway by way of the fourth, trailing by 10. Mayfield, one play after one way or the other escaping a sack try by Quinton Bell and finishing an 11-yard move to Evans, threw a red-zone interception to security Ashtyn Davis.
After the Buccaneers pressured a Dolphins punt, linebacker Bradley Chubb stripped Mayfield on a sack, which Bell recovered.
Ewers accomplished 14 of twenty-two passes in his second profession begin for the Dolphins (7-9), who’ve already been eradicated from the playoffs. Rookie receiver Theo Wease Jr. took Ewers’ first TD move 63 yards into the top zone, and tight finish Greg Dulcich caught an 11-yard scoring move.
Operating again De’Von Achane had 18 carries for 83 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry towards Tampa Bay’s seventh-ranked run protection.
The Buccaneers took an early lead on a 16-play landing drive on their first possession of the sport, however gave up 17 straight factors earlier than Chase McLaughlin’s 33-yard subject objective lower the deficit to seven factors within the fourth.
McLaughlin had related on 11 straight subject objectives from 55-plus yards coming into Sunday however had a 55-yard try blocked late within the second.
Ewers led the Dolphins again down the sector to arrange Riley Patterson’s 33-yard kick that pushed the rating to 20-10.
The division is ready up for a wild end after Zach Charbonnet ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seahawks turned two third-quarter Carolina turnovers into TDs to beat the Panthers.
Bryce Younger was restricted to 54 yards on 14-of-24 passing and threw an interception for the inconsistent Panthers, who adopted up a win with a loss for the fifth straight time. Younger ran for 30 yards and accounted for Carolina’s solely landing with a 10-yard scamper. Carolina was restricted to 139 yards of offense.
