Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats
As soon as Tampa Bay joined the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1976, team officials anticipated a friendly competition between themselves and Miami Dolphins.
That rivalry remains an integral part of preseason play and has even made appearances during regular season matches. Below is a selection of five matches from its history that have taken place.
In this article we will discuss about last 10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats. Go have a look.
| No. | Date | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 28, 2025 | Dolphins | Dolphins 20–17 Buccaneers |
| 2 | Oct 10, 2021 | Buccaneers | Buccaneers 45–17 Dolphins |
| 3 | Nov 19, 2017 | Buccaneers | Buccaneers 30–20 Dolphins |
| 4 | Nov 11, 2013 | Buccaneers | Buccaneers 22–19 Dolphins |
| 5 | Nov 15, 2009 | Dolphins | Dolphins 25–23 Buccaneers |
| 6 | Oct 16, 2005 | Buccaneers | Buccaneers 27–13 Dolphins |
| 7 | Dec 10, 2000 | Buccaneers | Buccaneers 16–13 Dolphins |
| 8 | Sep 21, 1997 | Buccaneers | Buccaneers 31–21 Dolphins |
| 9 | Dec 1, 1991 | Dolphins | Dolphins 33–14 Buccaneers |
| 10 | Oct 30, 1988 | Dolphins | Dolphins 17–14 Buccaneers |
1. 1981 Pro Bowl
50,360 fans packed Aloha Stadium for the second-ever AFC-NFC Pro Bowl on a hot afternoon in paradise. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Leeman Bennett led his NFC side against Cincinnati Bengals wideout Sam Rutigliano’s AFC side and played to an initial scoreless first quarter due to Tampa Bay kicker Ed Murray missing his 31-yard field goal attempt. Miami running back Ricky Williams then fumbled in his own end zone which resulted in Buccaneer recovery of it for touchdown. Both teams battled until halftime where both teams battled even closer until Jon Gruden made his debut and scored on one-yard touchdown run rematch!
Tampa Bay’s defense rallied in the second half to hold off Miami and hold them without scoring. Cedric Brown led an outstanding Buccaneer secondary with 11 interceptions; wide receiver Kevin House reached 1,000-yard mark. For Miami, Larry Csonka returned as their leader – throwing 21 touchdown passes while their ball-hawking defense made 13 picks against Dan Fouts alone during this year’s AFC Championship Game!
Early in their history, the Dolphins enjoyed consistent success through a ball control offense and defense that limited great quarterbacks. Unfortunately, in Super Bowl XVII against Washington after an atrocious first half performance in which they trailed 14-7 at halftime, Wannstedt was fired on November 9 and replaced by defensive coordinator Jim Bates who implemented more aggressive schemes which helped greatly improve both offense and defense – helping young Dan Marino amass a league-leading 5,084 yards passing and 48 touchdowns as a result of Bates’s influence.
2. 1985 Regular Season
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins have enjoyed an intense rivalry since 1976 when Tampa Bay joined the NFL as an expansion team and instantly recognized an in-state matchup against their most established and beloved Florida franchise: Miami Dolphins. Since then they have met regularly primarily during preseason contests but were conference rivals prior to being separated in 2002.
At Tampa Stadium during their inaugural season, Miami won 24-10 against Tampa Stadium courtesy of James Wilder rushing for three touchdowns and Fuad Reveiz’s late field goal to give them victory – only once have the Buccaneers ever experienced loss against a division rival during regular season play!
In their return matchup in a strike-shortened 1982 season, the Bucs came away victorious 23-17 on Monday Night Football. They quickly took an early lead while intercepting Dan Marino five times for touchdown returns by LB Jamie Duncan – including returning one himself!
Tampa won their inaugural matchup against Atlanta 31-14 with two touchdowns by running back Morris Owens and one pick by LB Steve Washington and DB Neal Colzie each for Tampa. In 1989, however, they played again but with no Rodney Harrison. But two years later on TNT Sunday Night Game they managed a 31-21 victory thanks to Warrick Dunn scoring two touchdowns and Martin Gramatica hitting two 30-yard field goals for them!
The Dolphins won both of their next meetings with Tampa, with 1992 Tampa victory being more competitive than either of them. Joe Ferguson equalled Dan Marino’s passing yards while it remained tied until late in the fourth quarter when an offside call allowed Tampa to run out the clock and secure victory.
3. 1990 Preseason
In 1990’s preseason match between Tampa Bay and Washington since the strike-shortened 1982 season ended, Jon Gruden made his coaching debut as Tampa Bay head coach and won in an unexpected fashion with Frank Murphy returning an opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to set an NFL preseason game record of most touchdown returns in one preseason game.
Miami began the season 0-2 and had already suffered Ronnie Brown to a Lisfranc injury that would sideline him for the entire year. Chad Pennington sustained a shoulder injury against San Diego Chargers during Week 3, forcing Chad Henne into playing for them as quarterback despite starting slow. They eventually rallied together enough wins after such an awful start – 10-5 was their record win total since starting 1-15!
In the playoffs, they defeated Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round and Pittsburgh Steelers 31-0 before falling 29-10 to Buffalo Bills in AFC Championship Game. Unfortunately for Dan Marino and his Dolphins teammates, an Achilles injury against Cleveland Browns put an abrupt end to their chances of playing in Super Bowl XVII.
On September 23rd, Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, wreaking havoc and killing over 65 people across Florida. It remains one of the state’s deadliest natural disasters ever.
4. 1997 Preseason
The Buccaneers and Dolphins rivalry is one of the mainstays of NFL preseason play, meeting 30 times during preseason compared to 12 in Atlanta (second). Due to their conference affiliations, however, these clubs don’t often come face to face during regular season action.
Tampa Bay and Miami first met during the 1976 season when Tampa Bay traveled to Houlihan’s Stadium for their inaugural meeting, visiting Miami mid-October and winning 23-20 on a strong performance by Michael Pittman and three field goals from kicker Martin Gramatica. Both runners scored touchdowns; Pittman scored on a 57-yarder while amassing 127 yards rushing – all combined together led to victory for Tampa Bay!
At Pro Player Stadium in November, Miami defeated Denver 22-20 for their second win of the day – an occasion notable because it marked the first ever tie in regular season NFL history since Super Bowl XXII between Broncos and Packers that ended 17-17 after an controversial call was overturned.
The final matchup, held on Monday Night Football in August 1997, was more eventful. Played amidst the turmoil surrounding Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin bullying scandal and Bucs coach Greg Schiano under scrutiny, with both teams fielding starters against second and third teamers; playing starters against second and third teams made for a rather disorganized affair with both teams scoring points in the fourth quarter to tie at 28 each before Garo Yepremian kicked a 29-yard field goal late on to put his team ahead and win by 5 1/2 points.
5. 2000 Regular Season
As soon as Tampa expanded in 1976, they quickly created an in-state rivalry with Florida neighbors the Miami Dolphins. Since 1976, these clubs have met 30 times during preseason play – more than any other two franchises combined – while in 2005 their matchup generated significant controversy due to NFL television contract rules governing secondary markets (CBS affiliate WKMG had to show an opposing Jacksonville Jaguars game instead), leading to this Bucs-Dolphins encounter being moved ahead 27-13 by running back Michael Pittman who amassed 127 yards including an astounding 57 yard touchdown run while safety Will Allen returned fumble 40 yards for another touchdown return touchdown return!
1988 and 1991 saw both clubs meet regularly during regular season play; both games were tight. The Dolphins won both contests by narrow margins: 21-14 at Miami where Joe Ferguson nearly equaled Marino’s passing yardage total while losing by just four possessions; 23-20 win by Tampa the following year even closer as Morris Owens threw three touchdown passes and Garo Yepremian won it with a 29-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in regulation time.
Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin bullying scandal and Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano’s tenuous relationship with his players following an 0-8 start was at the forefront. At Raymond James Stadium, Frank Murphy set an NFL record by returning a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown – which held up until 2007 when Deion Sanders returned one against Philadelphia Eagles and broke that mark by returning one 103 yards for another touchdown against Philadelphia Eagles. However, Tampa defense held the Dolphins to just two yards rushing on that day.
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