Buccaneers 22, Dolphins 19
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finally in the win column.
The Bucs beat the Miami Dolphins 22-19 Monday night for their first victory of the season.
Tampa Bay (1-8) led 15-0 late in the second quarter, but the Dolphins (4-5) staged a furious rally, scoring on their final drive of the first half and outscoring the Bucs 12-0 in the third quarter to take a 19-15 lead.
The Bucs replied in impressive fashion.
Running back Bobby Rainey had a 31-yard run to Miami's 1-yard line and then scored his first career touchdown to give the Bucs a 22-19 lead with 10:26 left to play in the game.
After trading possessions, the Dolphins nearly forced the Buccaneers to punt from their own 15-yard line with 5:50 to play, but a personal foul on linebacker Philip Wheeler for hitting quarterback Mike Glennon in the helmet after a third-down incompletion gave Tampa Bay a new set of downs, changing the field position the Dolphins would get.
Tampa Bay was eventually forced to punt, backing the Dolphins up to their own 5-yard line with 3:08 to play, needing a field goal to tie the game. After a few first downs, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sacked on back-to-back plays immediately following the two-minute warning and then threw an incompletion to set up fourth-and-27 with 1:44 left.
Tannehill's deep pass to receiver Mike Wallace was intercepted by cornerback Darrelle Revis, setting the Bucs up for their first win. One day earlier, Florida's other NFL team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, earned their first win of the year.
Glennon completed 11 of 21 passes for 139 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Tannehill went 27-for-42 for 229 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Dolphins wide receiver Rishard Matthews caught 11 passes for 120 yards, but Miami's running game was non-existent. The Dolphins gained 2 yards on 14 carries.
Tampa Bay ran the ball 37 times for 140 yards.
The Buccaneers held a 15-7 halftime lead.
Rookie running back Mike James, Tampa Bay's starter, carried the Bucs down the field on the opening drive before an unlikely 1-yard third-down touchdown pass to left tackle Donald Penn, who had reported as an eligible receiver on the play, put the Buccaneers ahead 7-0.
On the previous play, James sustained a left ankle injury, and he was carted off the field. He sat out the rest of the game, and NFL.com reported James is out indefinitely due to a fractured ankle.
After the Dolphins went three-and-out, the Bucs offense again raced toward the end zone before settling for a 24-yard Rian Lindell field goal with 5:31 left in the first quarter.
Tampa Bay didn't have to punt the ball until the second quarter, when Michael Koenen's kick was downed on Miami's 2-yard line. On second-and-11, Bucs linebacker Lavonte David broke through the Dolphins offensive line and tackled Daniel Thomas for a safety.
Lindell added a 35-yard field goal on the ensuing Tampa Bay drive to give the Bucs a 15-0 lead.
The Dolphins got on the board with 28 seconds left in the opening half on a 6-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill to Matthews that finished a nine-play, 90-yard drive.
NOTES: The departure of RB Mike James, coupled with RB Doug Martin being placed on injured reserve last week due to a shoulder injury, meant Brian Leonard became the Bucs' primary ball carrier. Leonard gained 57 yards on 20 carries. ... Warren Sapp was placed in the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor on Monday night, becoming the fifth player to receive that recognition. The defensive tackle joins coach John McKay, defensive lineman Lee Roy Selmon, tight end Jimmie Giles and tackle Paul Gruber in the Ring of Honor. Twenty-one of Sapp's teammates from the Bucs' 2002 Super Bowl-winning team were on hand to support Sapp. ... The Dolphins were nearly shut out in the first half for the first time this year. Their previous low for first-half points was six in a season-opening win over the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8. Prior to their scoring drive late in the first half, the Dolphins had just 31 yards of total offense.
