NFL Preview: Dolphins and Bucs welcome high-flying teams to the Sunshine State

The Miami Dolphins & Tampa Bay Buccaneers both welcome tough opposition to the state of Florida this Sunday, with both teams looking to secure essential wins. 

Whilst the Miami Dolphins are enduring a rough start to the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are flying, despite injury woes.

Here, Florida News Blitz writer Luke Maddison previews and predicts the outcome of both matches.

Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills

After coming off a 28-6 loss against the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday, the Dolphins could be in for another challenging game week as the Buffalo Bills visit The Hard Rock Stadium.

The Dolphins currently sit with a record of 2-7, a combination of defensive struggles and injuries to key players, such as Tyreek Hill, has stemmed an otherwise awful current campaign for the franchise. 

With fan frustration growing, some of the crowd were even spotted with bags on their heads during the game. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel responded to this, saying: “You want to dictate the terms, you want to fix stuff, it sucks. That sucks, all of that does.”

The 6-2 Bills will enter this game full of confidence after defeating Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs previously, a very close game that shot franchise quarterback Josh Allen into the favorite for the league's MVP. 

Allen scored two rushing touchdowns and threw one passing touchdown in the game, with him looking to cause more damage this Sunday in the Sunshine State. 

This all-AFC East tie could potentially change the standings of the division, with Buffalo looking to go to the top and Miami trying to avoid being last. 

My prediction: Bills to win by 20+ points. 

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New England Patriots 

With the Bucs having a bye in gameweek 9, coach Todd Bowles and the team will be looking to return in style at home against the high-flying New England Patriots on Sunday. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently sitting top of the NFC North, with a record of 6-2 and having only lost to the Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles, and the Detroit Lions.  

Throughout the season, the franchise has suffered a long list of injuries, including the loss of veteran Mike Evans to a broken collarbone. Due to this, a return for the star wide receiver hasn’t been ruled out, but he will definitely miss most of the remainder of the season.

Despite the injuries, QB Baker Mayfield has shown the level he can go to this season. Throwing for just under 2,000 yards, the University of Oklahoma alumni thrives under pressure and has delivered many clutch moments for the Bucs this year.

This game is set to be a fierce battle between two in-form franchise quarterbacks, with New England’s Drake Maye looking to make his mark yet again this weekend. 

Maye has propelled the Patriots into virtually guaranteed playoff football by the end of the regular season. He has thrown for 2,285 yards with 17 passing touchdowns, currently tied for the third-best in the league for passing touchdowns. 

The Pats will arrive at the Raymond James Stadium off the back of a 24-23 win against the Atlanta Falcons. This close encounter took their record to an impressive 7-2, with them also extending their win streak to six games heading into Sunday's clash. 

My prediction: Emeka Egbuka to score a touchdown & the Bucs to win.

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