Miami Dolphins vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Preview: Team news, betting, tickets, live stream, Fantasy Football and more

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will try to stop the bleeding on Sunday, December 28, 2025, when they travel to Hard Rock Stadium to face the Miami Dolphins. Tampa Bay enters the matchup at 7–8 overall, riding a three-game skid, while Miami sits at 6–9 and still searching for consistency.

The Buccaneers’ season has been a tale of two halves. They hit their bye week with an impressive 6–2 mark, with their only stumbles coming against the Eagles and Lions. Along the way, Tampa Bay picked up wins over the Falcons, Texans, Jets, Seahawks, 49ers, and Saints. Since then, however, things have unraveled. The Bucs managed just one victory over their next six games—a win against the Cardinals, while falling to the Patriots, Bills, Rams, Saints, and Falcons, leaving them hovering around .500 through the first 14 games.

Miami’s path hasn’t been much smoother. The Dolphins stumbled out of the gate with a 2–7 start, notching early wins against the Jets and Falcons but dropping games to the Colts, Patriots, Bills, Panthers, Chargers, Browns, and Ravens. They showed signs of life midseason with victories over the Bills, Commanders, Saints, and Jets, but that momentum was slowed by a loss to the Steelers. As a result, Miami found itself at 6–8 after 14 games, still fighting to stay relevant late in the year.

Miami Dolphins vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick-off time

NFL

Hard Rock Stadium

The Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, in the NFL Week 17 schedule, with kick-off slated for 1:00 pm ET. 

Team news & squads

Miami Dolphins team news

Miami’s numbers this season paint the picture of a team searching for consistency on both sides of the ball. The Dolphins are scoring 21.1 points per game, which slots them 22nd in the league, and they’re giving up 24.6 points a contest, also 22nd overall. Offensively, Miami is generating 309 yards per game, leaning slightly more on the run (122.4 yards) than the pass (186.5). Defensively, they’ve struggled to slow opponents, surrendering 339.5 total yards per outing, including 130.3 on the ground and 209.1 through the air.

Tua Tagovailoa has been the engine of the offense, throwing for 2,660 yards while completing 67.7 percent of his passes with 20 touchdowns. De’Von Achane has been the workhorse in the backfield, racking up 1,267 rushing yards, while Jaylen Waddle leads the receiving corps with 64 catches for 910 yards and six scores. On defense, Jordyn Brooks has been everywhere, pacing the team with 169 total tackles, 93 of them solo. Bradley Chubb tops the sack chart with 6.5, and Rasul Douglas leads the interception column with two picks.

Dolphins Injury Report: Isaiah Johnson – questionable , Minkah Fitzpatrick – questionable , D’Wayne Eskridge – questionable.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers team news

Tampa Bay hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard either, averaging 23.1 points per game, good for 18th in the NFL. The Bucs’ defense has been even shakier, allowing 25.1 points per contest, which ranks 24th. Tampa is putting up 315.3 total yards per game, 198.3 passing and 116.9 rushing, while giving up 343.3 yards on the other end, including 242 through the air.

Baker Mayfield has put together a solid season under center, tossing for 3,144 yards on 61.6 percent passing with 23 touchdowns. Rachaad White leads the ground game with 539 rushing yards, and rookie standout Emeka Egbuka has emerged as Mayfield’s favorite target, hauling in 59 passes for 910 yards and six touchdowns. Defensively, SirVocea Dennis leads the team with 92 total tackles, YaYa Diaby has been the top pass rusher with six sacks, and Jamel Dean sits atop the interception list with three.

Buccaneers Injury Report: Anthony Nelson – questionable.

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Watch and live stream Dolphins vs Buccaneers in the USA

The Dolphins vs Buccaneers game in Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season will be broadcast live exclusively on FOX. Fans in the local markets will still be able to catch the coverage onFubo (Try for free today!).

More details on where to watch the game in the United States, including streaming options, will be released soon, so keep an eye out for our dedicated coverage.

Watch and live stream Dolphins vs Buccaneers worldwide

For fans outside the U.S. looking to stay plugged into the action,NFL Game Pass on DAZN is the ultimate ticket. It serves up more than 200 regular-season and playoff matchups, complete Super Bowl coverage, plus access to NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and plenty more to keep you locked in all year long.

To bypass regional restrictions or to access the game if you are travelling abroad, you can watch the action using a Virtual Private Network like ExpressVPN.

How to buy Dolphins vs Buccaneers tickets

Tickets are already up for grabs on StubHub, with entry starting at $386. From there, prices climb through the tiers — $300, $400, $500, $600, $700, $800, $900, $1,000, and stretching all the way into the premium ranges of $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $6,000, and topping out at $10,406 for the best seats in the house.

Check the link below for the full breakdown of how to purchase tickets to NFL games.

READ MORE: NFL 2025 Tickets: Prices, deals, season tickets & membership information

Dolphins vs Buccaneers Fantasy Football

Baker Mayfield’s stat line wasn’t disastrous on the surface, but Tampa Bay’s passing game never truly found its rhythm. Outside of a deep strike to Emeka Egbuka, the Buccaneers struggled to generate anything downfield. The afternoon unraveled late when Mayfield threw a game-ending interception during a comeback attempt, the result of a clear miscommunication with Mike Evans — Evans broke right, while the ball sailed left into the hands of a waiting Panthers defender. With Tampa Bay’s postseason hopes fading fast, Mayfield will need to turn up the heat quickly if the Bucs want to claw their way back into contention.

The past few weeks have also capped Bucky Irving's fantasy ceiling. His involvement in the passing game has dried up entirely, with his reception totals sliding from two to one to zero over the last three outings. Compounding the issue, Sean Tucker has been stealing touchdowns, while Rachaad White continues to make the most of a reduced workload. Fantasy managers who were eager for Irving's return are now stuck in a tough spot, the upside is still there, but trusting him week to week has become a gamble.

There’s better news on the receiver front. Mike Evans should be ready to roll against Miami, as his absence from practice was simply a veteran maintenance day. He remains a strong play against the Dolphins’ secondary. Chris Godwin is also expected back on the practice field and should be good to go Sunday, making him another reliable option in this matchup.

In Miami, rookie Quinn Ewers made his first start after the team benched Tua Tagovailoa, and the growing pains were evident. Ewers completed 20 of 30 passes for 260 yards but tossed two interceptions in a 45-21 blowout loss to Cincinnati. There were a few flashes of potential, but overall it was a rough debut, and expectations should remain tempered if he continues to lead the Dolphins over the final weeks.

Regardless of who’s under center, De’Von Achane remains the heartbeat of Miami’s offense. He draws another favorable matchup this week against a Buccaneers defense allowing the 13th-most fantasy points to running backs. In what shapes up as a high-scoring affair, Achane is well-positioned to keep his stellar season rolling through the finish line.

Jaylen Waddle quietly delivered a solid performance in Ewers’ first start, benefiting in part from cornerback DJ Turner not being at full strength. Waddle posted a 5-72 line on nine targets, commanding a hefty 30 percent target share and seeing significant usage off play-action. That level of involvement is encouraging heading into a matchup with Tampa Bay’s pass-funnel defense. Historically, Waddle has thrived without Tyreek Hill, topping 82 receiving yards in five of 11 such games and averaging over seven targets and 68 yards per contest when Hill is limited or sidelined. All signs point to Waddle firmly back in the WR2 conversation for Week 17.

Dolphins vs Buccaneers Game Predictions

After just a single outing, it’s already clear that Quinn Ewers isn’t the long-term fix for Miami’s quarterback dilemma heading into 2026. The Dolphins’ bigger problem right now is a banged-up defense paired with an offense that lacks a true field general, someone capable of dragging the team back into contention once the scoreboard tilts by a couple of touchdowns. That’s a dangerous recipe, especially against a Tampa Bay team playing with its back against the wall and plenty of urgency.

Prediction: Tampa Bay’s sense of desperation shows up early. With Miami struggling to generate a spark through the air and shorthanded on defense, the Buccaneers should be able to control the flow and pull away late. Look for Tampa Bay to capitalize on key mistakes and come out on top by a comfortable margin.

Dolphins vs Buccaneers Betting Odds

Spread

Buccaneers -5.5 (-110)

Dolphins +5.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Buccaneers: -258

Dolphins: +210

Total

46.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Form

Head-to-Head Record

MIA

Last 5 matches

TB

1

Win

0

Draws

4

Wins

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  24

  -

  14

  Miami Dolphins

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  24

  -

  26

  Miami Dolphins

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  45

  -

  17

  Miami Dolphins

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  16

  -

  14

  Miami Dolphins

• Miami Dolphins

  24

  -

  26

  Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Useful links

• How to watch and live stream NFL football for free and without cable
• 2025 fantasy football rankings: Running back (RB) | Wide receiver (WR) | Tight end (TE) | Quarterback (QB)