Florida news: NFL Preview - Buccaneers and Jaguars play away in tough fixtures; Dolphins welcome Bengals to the Sunshine State

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Jacksonville Jaguars both hit the road against tough opposition this weekend, with the Miami Dolphins facing the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. 

As we approach the festive period of the NFL season, these games are massively important for two of the three Floridian teams as the playoff picture takes shape. 

Here, Florida News Blitz writer Luke Maddison previews each game and gives his predictions ahead of a stacked weekend of Florida football. 

Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars

After an imposing 48-20 victory against the New York Jets this past weekend, the game went down as a historic performance for Jaguars Quarterback Trevor Lawrence. 

Lawrence became the first ever player in NFL history to gain 5+ passing TDs, 1+ rush TD & 50+ rushing yards in a single game, throwing for 330 passing yards alongside this. 

The franchise quarterback has led the Jags to a 10-4 record this season, with the team looking to secure their highest winning record in several years. 

With his name now engraved in the NFL history books, the 26-year-old will be looking to make more memories on the road against fellow passer Bo Nix and the high-flying Broncos. 

Nix and his comrades have a 12-2 record this season and are now huge favourites to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 

As much as the Broncos’ offensive threats have shown up so far, they really need to give a huge thanks to the defence, which has been so dominant this regular season.

The defence are having the time of their lives on the field in 2025, currently leading the league in sacks (58). 

Denver’s whole squad has shown true resilience from the first kickoff back in September and currently sits on an 11-game win streak, looking to make it 12 against the Jags on Sunday. 

My Prediction: The Denver Broncos to win the match & Bo Nix to throw 2+ passing touchdowns. 

Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This has got to be the most crucial fixture of the weekend for all the Florida teams, as a division title is on the line.

The Bucs are currently first in the NFC South, with the Panthers second; both teams are 7-7 heading into a massive game on Sunday. 

After losing to the Atlanta Falcons last Thursday, the Bucs fell second in the division, but it didn’t last long due to a squandered opportunity by the Panthers. 

Carolina couldn’t take advantage of the Falcons’ win and were beaten 20-17 by the New Orleans Saints, a team that also beat the Buccaneers in week 14. 

The two teams are fighting for a division nobody seems to want, with both franchises falling short in games that really matter.

Fellow quarterbacks Baker Mayfield & Bryce Young will both be hoping to secure the win this upcoming weekend, especially with the playoffs on the horizon. 

Sunday will be the first of two meetings between the sides, with them locking horns again for the final game of the season at the beginning of January. 

If the Bucs win, they will have a 95% chance of reaching the playoffs. On the other hand, the Panthers will have a 43% chance of coming out victorious, most likely due to hosting the Seattle Seahawks (11-3) next weekend. 

My Prediction: Bucky Irving to score a touchdown & the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the match.

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Miami Dolphins vs Cincinnati Bengals 

With both teams already eliminated from the playoffs, anything could happen in the Sunshine State this Sunday. 

One thing we do know for sure, Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel is contemplating a quarterback change for the game against the Bengals. 

The Phins’ playoff hopes were shattered at the Pittsburgh Steelers, losing 28-15. A game in which quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed only 6 of his 10 passes for 65 yards, whilst also throwing an interception in the process.

McDaniel spoke on Tagovailoa after Monday night’s loss, saying: “The quarterback play last night was not good enough. So for me, everything is on the table”.

Speaking of losses, the Bengals enter this game off the back of losing 24-0 to the Baltimore Ravens. 

Quarterback Joe Burrow threw two interceptions and was sacked three times, rounding off a terrible afternoon for the franchise. 

After losing Burrow in week 2 for a total of 10 weeks, it was always going to be a struggle for the Bengals to reach the playoffs. 

Now, they have the final three games to show that they are a serious team and one that can bounce back in 2026. 

My Prediction: The Cincinnati Bengals to win the match & Chase Brown to score a touchdown. 

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