Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats

Baker Mayfield threw for 346 yards, but three Tampa Bay turnovers handed Miami a 20-17 win at Hard Rock Stadium. The Buccaneers vs Miami Dolphins match player stats tell a story of missed opportunity — Tampa Bay outgained Miami by 82 yards and held the ball for five extra minutes, yet walked away with the loss.

The Dolphins improved to 7-9 on Sunday, December 28, 2025, in front of 66,552 fans in Miami Gardens. Quinn Ewers, making his second career start, went 14-of-22 for 172 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over once. Throughout the afternoon, Tampa Bay’s offense moved the chains, scoring 21 first downs compared to Miami’s 13, but that advantage was eliminated by two Mayfield interceptions and a blocked field goal. A late 91-yard drive capped by a Mike Evans touchdown pulled the Buccaneers within three, but Miami recovered the ensuing onside kick to close it out.

Match Overview Table

Core Match Statistics Overview

Passing Efficiency

• Mayfield out-threw Ewers by 174 yards, but his 93.6 rating trailed Ewers’ 118.0 because of two interceptions.
• Ewers didn’t turn the ball over on 22 attempts, the difference-maker in a game the Dolphins won by three points.

Ball Security

• Tampa Bay’s three giveaways (two interceptions, one lost fumble) directly offset an 82-yard total-yardage edge.
• Miami’s defense forced two picks off Mayfield and returned them for a combined 45 yards, flipping field position twice.

Discipline and Field Position

• Miami’s 10 penalties for 77 yards repeatedly stalled its own drives and gave Tampa Bay short fields.
• Despite the penalty yardage, the Dolphins special teams unit blocked a Buccaneers field goal attempt to protect the lead.

Period-by-Period Analysis

• Tampa Bay struck first on a 16-play opening drive, finished by a 5-yard Mayfield-to-Chris Godwin score, but Miami answered within a minute when Ewers hit rookie Theo Wease for a 63-yard touchdown.
• The second quarter belonged entirely to Miami: a Riley Patterson field goal and an 11-yard Ewers-to-Greg Dulcich touchdown built a 17-7 cushion heading into the half.
• Tampa Bay clawed back with a Chase McLaughlin field goal in the third and a late fourth-quarter touchdown drive, but a blocked field goal and a failed onside-kick recovery kept the Dolphins ahead.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Player Statistics

Baker Mayfield (QB) — 33-of-44, 346 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 93.6 rating; 3 carries, 16 yards Mayfield piled up the second-most passing yards of his season but the two picks proved costly against a Miami defense that capitalized on both.

Chris Godwin (WR) — 7 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD (8 targets, long 59) Godwin was Mayfield’s most productive target, opening the scoring on a 5-yard touchdown and setting up the late score with a 59-yard grab.

Jalen McMillan (WR) — 7 receptions, 114 yards (9 targets, long 33) McMillan led the Buccaneers in receiving yardage, consistently moving the chains on intermediate routes throughout the game.

Bucky Irving (RB) — 9 carries, 19 yards; 5 receptions, 14 yards (6 targets) Irving was the closest thing to a workhorse back Tampa Bay had, but Miami’s run defense held him to under 20 rushing yards on nine attempts.

Miami Dolphins Player Statistics

Quinn Ewers (QB) — 14-of-22, 172 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 118.0 rating; 4 carries, 5 yards In his second career start, Ewers didn’t turn the ball over once and connected on two touchdown throws, including a 63-yard strike.

De’Von Achane (RB) — 18 carries, 83 yards; 3 receptions, 29 yards Achane anchored Miami’s ground game with 4.6 yards per carry, controlling tempo and eating clock against a top-ranked Tampa Bay run defense.

Theo Wease (WR) — 1 reception, 63 yards, 1 TD Wease needed just one catch to make his mark, hauling in a 63-yard touchdown that erased Tampa Bay’s early lead.

Greg Dulcich (TE) — 5 receptions, 58 yards, 1 TD Dulcich was Ewers’ most-targeted option and delivered the second-quarter touchdown that put Miami in control.

Statistical Leaders Summary Table

Why the Dolphins Won

Zero Turnovers

Miami’s offense didn’t give the ball away once in 27 offensive snaps fewer than Tampa Bay, protecting every possession it had.

Explosive-Play Passing

Ewers needed only 14 completions to generate two touchdowns because both scoring plays came from chunk gains — a 63-yard bomb and an 11-yard strike into the end zone.

Special Teams Swing

Blocking a Buccaneers field goal and recovering a late onside kick gave Miami two possessions it otherwise wouldn’t have had.

Why the Buccaneers Lost

Turnovers Erased a Yardage Advantage

Outgaining Miami 380-298 and holding the ball over 32 minutes meant little once two interceptions and a lost fumble handed Miami short fields.

Missing Points in the Red Zone

Tampa Bay’s lone third-quarter score was a field goal rather than a touchdown, and a blocked attempt in the fourth quarter cost the offense a chance to tie or lead.

Historical Context & Advanced Insights

Season Series Breakdown

This was the only regular-season meeting between the two teams in 2025, with Miami improving to 7-6 all-time in the head-to-head series.

Advanced Statistical Insights

Mayfield’s completion percentage (75.0%) dwarfed Ewers’ (63.6%), yet Ewers finished with the superior passer rating because he avoided negative plays entirely. That gap illustrates how touchdown efficiency and ball security outweigh raw volume — Miami turned 22 dropbacks into two scores and zero giveaways, while Tampa Bay needed 44 dropbacks to match that touchdown total and still surrendered two picks in the process.

Game Implications & Key Lessons

What This Means for Miami:

• A clean game from a first-year starting quarterback gives the Dolphins a building block heading into the offseason.
• The 145 rushing yards from Achane and Wright signal a run game capable of controlling tempo against strong front sevens.

What This Means for Tampa Bay:

• Three turnovers in a winnable game underline a costly late-season pattern the Buccaneers will need to address.
• The passing offense’s explosiveness (346 yards) shows the talent is there, but ball security has to catch up.

Key Lessons:

• Total yardage doesn’t win games without matching ball security.
• A single explosive play can offset a heavier snap count on the other side of the ball.
• Special teams (a blocked kick, a recovered onside kick) can decide a three-point game.
• Turnover-free quarterbacking often outweighs a bigger box score.
• Red-zone touchdowns matter more than red-zone yardage.
• Field position swings from turnovers compound faster than a team can out-drive them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the Buccaneers vs Dolphins game?

The Miami Dolphins won 20-17 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 28, 2025.

Who had the most passing yards in the game?

Baker Mayfield led all passers with 346 yards on 33-of-44 passing for Tampa Bay.

What were Quinn Ewers’ stats in the game?

Ewers went 14-of-22 for 172 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions, posting a 118.0 passer rating.

Who scored the go-ahead points for Miami?

Riley Patterson’s 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter put Miami up 20-10 before Tampa Bay’s late touchdown.

How many turnovers did Tampa Bay have?

The Buccaneers turned the ball over three times — two Mayfield interceptions and one lost fumble.

Who was Miami’s leading rusher?

De’Von Achane led all rushers with 83 yards on 18 carries.

Conclusion

Miami’s 20-17 win came down to discipline with the football rather than raw production — Tampa Bay out-gained and out-possessed the Dolphins but couldn’t overcome three turnovers against a Miami team that played a clean, efficient game built on explosive passing plays and timely special-teams execution.