They share a state, but their showdowns are rare.
About 270 miles separate Sun Life Stadium from Raymond James Stadium, but the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have only met nine times in the regular season since the Bucs' first campaign in 1976. The series is as close as it can be, with the Dolphins leading the Bucs 5-4. Both teams own three-game winning streaks against the other, and Tampa Bay holds a slight edge in scoring, 206-203.
Monday night, this Sunshine State matchup will be renewed. The Dolphins, at 4-4, are trying to move beyond the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin saga and keep pace in the AFC East. The Bucs, at 0-8, are no stranger to struggle on and off the field this fall and are looking to flip their fortunes.
"As a kid growing up, that was kind of always the big thing that we looked forward to was the Monday night game," Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon said. "I can remember staying up to watch probably just to halftime, back when I was a little kid, but it's kind of what you always hear about is Monday Night Football -- that's kind of the primetime, the show time, everyone's watching."
Here's a look back at Bucs-Dolphins through the years:
In what would be their seventh loss on the way to a 0-14 season, the Bucs suffered their second consecutive defeat by three points, following a 13-10 decision to the Seattle Seahawks the week before. Those two results were the closest Tampa Bay came to a victory in the winless campaign. The Bucs rallied from a 20-7 deficit in the second half, scoring 13 consecutive points to tie the score in the fourth quarter. But Garo Yepremian's 29-yard field goal in the fourth was the difference.
After Bill Capece's 36-yard field goal in the third quarter, Tampa Bay jumped to a 16-3 lead, a seemingly comfortable edge at home. But Don Strock threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, both to tight end Joe Rose, to make things interesting. James Wilder's 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth, which put the Bucs ahead 23-10, was enough to lift Tampa Bay to victory.
Call it a shootout. In the end, the Dolphins won this sprint, despite being outgained 476 yards to 446. Miami held third-quarter leads of 31-14 and 38-21, but Tampa Bay scored 17 consecutive points to tie the score in the fourth. Fuad Reveiz's 43-yard field goal broke the tie, giving the Dolphins the victory. Bucs tight end Jimmie Giles had four touchdown catches.
Dan Marino connected with wide receiver Mark Clayton for two third-quarter touchdown passes, one 5 yards and the other 8, and Tony Franklin added a 31-yard field goal to give Miami a 17-0 lead. The Dolphins withstood a late Bucs rally, after Joe Ferguson threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes to running back Lars Tate (5 yards) and wide receiver Bruce Hill (27). Tampa Bay committed five turnovers.
The Dolphins cruised to a 24-7 halftime lead, behind a pair of Dan Marino touchdown passes, a 41-yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich and a 19-yard touchdown run by running back Mark Higgs – all of which occurred in the second quarter. Miami's lead grew as large as 33-7 in the fourth.
Trent Dilfer outdueled Dan Marino, throwing four touchdowns to Marino's two in the victory. The Bucs' lead grew as large as 24-7 in the third quarter and 31-14 in the fourth. Running back Mike Alstott ran for a game-high 95 yards on 18 carries. Tampa Bay shut out Miami in the first and third quarters.
Martin Gramatica made field goals of 30 and 46 yards in the fourth quarter, lifting Tampa Bay to the come-from-behind victory. Miami held a 13-10 lead in the third after running back Lamar Smith scored from 1 yard out. Turnovers were a major difference: The Dolphins had five to the Bucs' one.
The Bucs controlled the second half, particularly the third quarter, to claim their third consecutive regular-season victory in this Sunshine State series. Tampa Bay entered halftime with a 10-3 lead, and the Bucs turned a tight contest into a blowout by winning the third 17-3, capped by defensive back Will Allen's 33-yard fumble return to push Tampa Bay ahead 27-6. Bucs running back Michael Pittman had a game-high 127 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.
A 25-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter was the difference, erasing the one-point lead the Bucs had enjoyed in the fourth quarter after running back Cadillac Williams' 1-yard touchdown rush. Neither quarterback was particularly impressive: Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman finished 16-of-28 passing for 196 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Miami's Chad Henne went 17-of-31 passing for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception as well. The Dolphins led by as much as 19-6 in the second before Williams' run gave the Bucs their first lead since going ahead 3-0 in the first on a 51-yard field goal by Connor Barth.
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