DOLPHINS GAMEDAY

KEYS TO THE GAME

Harass Bucs QB Tom Brady with pressure up the middle: There isn’t a single scheme, front, blitz, or exotic look that a defense can throw at Brady to catch him off guard. That means defensive linemen Christian Wilkins, Adam Butler and Emmanuel Ogbah need to consistently collapse the pocket.

Rush for 100 or more yards: The Dolphins can’t afford to get into a shootout with Tampa Bay because they don’t have the firepower to keep pace. The best way to shorten a game is to run the football consistently. Miami has only done that successfully once this season, during its 31-28 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Protect Jacoby Brissett: Miami’s struggles in the trenches have kept the quarterbacks under constant pressure all season, and it’s negatively impacting the personnel usage (Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed and Mike Gesicki have been sparingly used), and the Dolphins play-calling (anything longer than a fivestep drop has been risky). Brissett has been sacked nine times in three games.

Eliminate the big play from Buccaneers offense: The New England Patriots had success last Sunday dropping six and seven defenders into coverage and forcing Brady to work underneath, dinking and dunking his way down the field. That approach isn’t perfect, but it could help a struggling defense survive against one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. The problem is, there’s only one Xavien Howard, and Byron Jones could be sidelined due to his leg injury.

Make Buccaneers one dimensional: Because of how pass-heavy Tampa Bay’s offense is under Brady’s tutelage, the Buccaneers sparingly run the football and as a result average just 72 rushing yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry. Sunday can’t be the game tailback Leonard Fournette gets into a groove because the Dolphins can’t afford to key in on both the run and the passing game. Miami will need linebackers Jerome Baker and Elandon Roberts and safety Brandon Jones at their best, getting runners down near or close to the line of scrimmage.

STAFF PREDICTIONS Dave Hyde, Sports Columnist (Season record: 2-2): Bucs 27, Dolphins 17

The Dolphins will have their shots. They should be the hungrier team considering their 1-3 record and Tampa Bay having just played an emotional game in New England. But that’s still Tom Brady on the other and still a Dolphins offense with more questions than answers.

Omar Kelly, Dolphins Columnist (Season record: 2-2): Bucs 24, Dolphins 14

Kacy Rodgers, the Buccaneers defensive line coach and a former Dolphins assistant coach, doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the defensive lines he’s forged throughout the years. His unit’s dominance will help stifle the Dolphins’ offensive line, reminding us just how bad the foundation of this rebuild is.

David Furones, Dolphins Writer (Season record: 3-1): Bucs 38, Dolphins 24

This is not the game where the Dolphins can afford for their top two cornerbacks to be less than 100 percent. With Byron Jones and All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard battling various injuries, covering Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown could be problematic. Tom Brady will pick the Dolphins apart. Miami, again with quarterback Jacoby Brissett, will have some slight improvement in the passing game against the Bucs’ league-worst pass defense, but it won’t be enough to keep pace and much of it will come too late. Tampa Bay has looked beatable, but after losing to the Rams two weeks ago and playing the Patriots close in Foxborough, the Bucs won’t get caught off guard.

Kathy Laughlin, Sports Editor (Season record: 2-2): Bucs 28, Dolphins 17

The Dolphins have a dismal record in Tampa Bay, and nothing is going right for Miami’s offense. The only hope is that they scrap what they have been doing all season, try something new and catch the Bucs flat-footed coming off a close, emotional win in New England. And maybe hope the Bucs are overconfident.

Keven Lerner, Assistant Sports Editor (Season record: 2-2): Bucs 27, Dolphins 17

The Buccaneers are 10-point favorites for good reason. The defending Super Bowl champions have yet to play a complete game, but that should change against the reeling Dolphins. The Bucs have the NFL’s worst pass defense and No. 1 run defense. Miami, which managed just 35 yards rushing in last week’s loss to Indianapolis, has one of the league’s worst offenses. It is ranked near the bottom in nearly every statistical category. The Dolphins’ run defense also has struggled, so expect Leonard Fournette to have a big game. Tom Brady and his trio of star WRs also should come up big.

Steve Svekis, Assistant Sports Editor (Season record: 2-2): Bucs 27, Dolphins 24

The Buccaneers are starting to get hit by the injury bug, with tight end Rob Gronkowski out with a punctured lung and multiple starting defensive backs injured Sunday night at New England. That combined with the natural hangover from Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough, and Tampa Bay having been losing or in close games in the fourth quarter of each game thus far could be a recipe for an upset. One bright spot for Miami? They have played much better on the road than at home.