After what appeared to be a strong start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars, all three teams found a way to let a win slip out of their hands this past week.
It may not be surprising for the Jaguars or Buccaneers anymore, but it’s disappointing for the Dolphins, considering how much potential they have shown this season.
The Buccaneers showed a lot of promise in the first two quarters of Sunday’s game, heading into the half with a 10-0 lead over the Chicago Bears, but problems were already clearly present. Once each team reappeared on the field, these problems only appeared more exaggerated.
After a stellar performance from Josh McCown last week, the Buccaneer’s veteran quarterback managed to do little more than sabotage any of their hopes for victory. Throwing two interceptions and managing to gain little momentum from their three scoring drives, McCown’s performance really called into question Lovie Smith’s offensive strategy, once again. The game ended, with a Bear’s triumph of 21-13. Next week, the Buccaneers host the Cincinnati Bengals for a 1:00 P.M. game.
Turning attention to the one Florida team with playoff hopes, the Miami Dolphins faced the Denver Broncos, in what became a nail-biter of a game, ending with the Bronco’s victory of 36-39. After three quarters of Dolphins domination, their defense seemed to give up altogether, allowing their opponent to score 22 points in the final quarter. While they may remain second in their division, even with this loss, their chances of making it to the playoffs are becoming slimmer and slimmer. They play the New York Jets, next Monday, at 8:30 P.M.
Finally, we have to discuss one of the only teams worse than the Buccaneers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have again demonstrated their inability to do anything on either side of the ball, with a 23-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts prevented anything more than a single field goal from being scored against them, as well as intercepting the ball once and recovering a fumble. Blake Bortles has been struggling this season to live up the life of his college career, and his performance this past week was one of his most abysmal, ending the game with a passer rating of 55.5. Hopefully next week he can manage to get something going, as the team hosts the New York Giants for a 1:00 P.M. game.
