The Miami Dolphins took the field on Saturday night for their preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game that resulted in their first win of the season.
With starting offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Connor Williams not playing, and the other three starters just playing a couple of drives, the Dolphins’ offense struggled to get a whole lot going in the first half. However, Skylar Thompson was hitting his receivers.
It wasn’t until the defense started producing that the team started to put things together. Elijah Campbell’s interception set Thompson up for an easy touchdown pass to Lynn Bowden Jr. Just two plays later, linebacker Darius Hodge stripped Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask, allowing Sam Eguavoen to pick up the ball and score.
They entered halftime up 20-14, but the Buccaneers led in nearly every statistic.
After the break, the Dolphins only points came in the form of field goals, as Jason Sanders returned to form, making all four of his attempts on the night. The offensive line depth continued to be an issue, as they couldn’t keep pressure from the rookie signal-caller or provide any push for the running game.
As a team, Miami only rushed for 49 yards on 14 attempts, and 25 of those yards came on scrambles from Thompson.
One of the biggest hits that the Dolphins took in the second half was cornerback Trill Williams, who had been having a great camp, suffering an injury that resulted in him being carted back to the locker room.
Tampa Bay had a chance to win with a 49-yard field goal with just three seconds left on the clock. Head coach Mike McDaniel called a timeout to freeze the kicker, and it worked to perfection, as Jose Borregales missed the kick.
The Dolphins won their first game under McDaniel by a final score of 26-24.
