Miami Dolphins vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Predictions, Odds, Picks Week 5

• The 1-3 Miami Dolphins have a defense that allows 27 points per game
• The 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on fire having won 11 of their last 12 outings

Dolphins vs Buccaneers Odds

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The 1-3 Miami Dolphins have a defense that allows 27 points per game, so for a win here quarterback Jacoby Brissett has to outscore that, which is tough with the second least productive offense in the league that scores just 15.5 points per game, though the Phins have covered the spread in seven of their last eight games as underdogs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on fire having won 11 of their last 12 outings, and after going to Foxboro last week and (barely) beating the Patriots, 19-17, they now get to play these struggling Dolphins at home, a game that should give their middling defense a proper chance to shine while GOAT quarterback Tom Brady and his offense help cover the over.

These two cross-conference rivals have played each other 11 previous times, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning 6 of those games and the Miami Dolphins winning 5 of the games.

Can the Dolphins Offense Start Finding the End Zone?

Only the New York Jets (11.8) score less points than the Miami Dolphins (15.5) per game so quarterback Jacoby Brissett and his offensive coordinator duo – George Godsey & Eric Studesville – must game plan a lot more end zone visits.

The way to do that this weekend could be to directly challenge the Buccaneers pass defense, a group that is last in the league right now after allowing opponents to throw for 327.5 yards per game, potential production that is most likely music to those Dolphins’ ears.

But Brissett has been struggling to throw touchdown passes, with just two so far on the season, both of those coming in last week’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a hopeful sign that his throwing arm is warming up at last.

Can the Buccaneers’ Pass Defense Figure Itself Out?

Speaking of that horrible Bucs pass defense, how is it that the same team that has the number one rush defense also has the worst pass defense, a one-dimensional quality that is most likely easy to game plan around.

Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles must be scrambling to figure out how to better balance out his defense, but right now his side of the ball is dealing with injuries, with cornerbacks Carlton Davis (quadriceps) and Jamel Dean (knee) both listed as questionable for Sunday.

Could be the perfect week to experiment against this Dolphins team that still has yet to figure out its own pass game, right now ranked 30th in production after throwing for just 173 yards per game.

Dolphins Key Player: (RBs) Myles Gaskin & Malcolm Brown

The Dolphins run game only churns out about 78 yards on the ground per game, so if they expect to gain any yards against this Buccaneers’ stingy defensive front then they will need a huge game from both their backs.

So far this season, Myles Gaskin has had 29 carries for 142 yards but zero touchdowns, so his Dolphins could use some end zone action from Gaskin like the three he posted last season for Miami.

The former Rams running back Malcolm Brown has carried the ball 25 times this season for 91 yards and a touchdown playing a supporting role for Miami that he is familiar with having been in a similar position prior with L.A. for five seasons.

Buccaneers Key Player: (TE) O.J. Howard

This week should give Bucs’ star tight end Rob Gronkowski some more time to heal as he is still nursing an injury to his ribs that kept him out in Week 4, and that gives the other excellent Tampa Bay tight end, O.J. Howard, the perfect excuse to step up on Sunday.

Howard has spent his entire NFL career on the Buccaneers since he was drafted in the first round (19th pick overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft and has proven to be an essential part of the team’s offense as both a blocker and receiver.

In 2021, Howard has only been targeted three times and he caught two of those passes for 32 yards and no touchdowns, but with Gronk out now it might be time for the 6’ 6” Howard to step into the playmaker role and give his QB Brady a nice big body in which to target.

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