Let’s see how this plays out for the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter.
The Bucs come out in the fourth quarter dedicated to running the ball to end the game and the Dolphins seem inclined to let them. Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette end up running the ball 7 times for about 5 yards an attempt. Miami’s defense ends up holding when the Bucs get to the 26-yard line and the Bucs are forced to settle for a field goal this time.
The Dolphins are down by 22 and have a little over 7 minutes left on the clock. Brissett quickly hits Parker for 19, Gesicki for 15, and Waddle for 10 getting into Bucs territory. The offense gets to the red zone quickly but the Tampa Bay defense shows up when they need them to and they force Miami into a 4th and 3. Miami goes for it, fails to convert, and the Bucs take over on their own 9-yard line.
Brady orchestrates a great drive to end the game, running the ball effectively and not giving the Dolphins another opportunity on offense.
At the end of the fourth: Miami 22, Tampa Bay 44
This was awful to watch and, sadly, I get the vibe that this game is going to be somewhat similar to what we saw in Madden. Usually, I’m hopeful that Madden isn’t a good barometer for how the team performs in real life but not this time.
This matchup completely scares me given the immense firepower of this Bucs team and the Dolphin’s consistent inability to get anything going on offense. I want to pick the Dolphins, but there’s no way I reasonably can given everything that has happened with this team throughout the last few weeks.
I think the Buccaneers are going to start slow but get going once the Dolphins defense gets tired. Tampa Bay is going to have a big win by the time the game ends.
My prediction: Miami 10, Tampa Bay 35