The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are winless no longer.
The Buccaneers defense came up big with two sacks and an interception of Ryan Tannehill on the Miami Dolphins final possession to seal a 22-19 victory over the Dolphins.
The Dolphins faced 1st and 10 at their own 33-yard line coming out of the two-minute warning. Tannehill was sacked by William Gholston and Da’Quan Bowers for an 8-yard loss. Gerald McCoy sacked Tannehill for a loss of 10 on second down and Darrelle Revis picked off a desperation pass on 4th and 28 to seal the win.
The Buccaneers had jumped out to a large lead for the second straight week only to see the cushion disappear. Tampa Bay had held a 21-0 lead over the Seattle Seahawks last week before falling 27-24 in overtime. This time, they managed to close the deal.
The Dolphins rallied from a 15-0 deficit to take the lead in the third quarter. Tannehill connected with Rishard Matthews for their second touchdown of the night to give Miami a 16-15 edge after a failed two-point conversion. A 30-yard field goal extended the lead to 19-15 at the end of the third quarter but the Buccaneers bounced back.
Tampa Bay marched on a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive with Bobby Rainey, playing for an injured Mike James, scored a 1-yard touchdown to retake the lead for good.
The Dolphins were missing two starting linemen in Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito due to their off-field issues and it showed in the running game. Miami finished with just 2 yards rushing and the sacks allowed on the final drive ended the Dolphins’ chances at a game-winning drive.