Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Miami Dolphins: Score, Stats and Summary for Preseason Week 3 

On Friday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Miami Dolphins at Raymond James Stadium in both teams' final preseason outing.

The Bucs played their first two preseason games on the road. They beat the Cincinnati Bengals 17-14 in their opener before losing 20-7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The visitors came into the game with a perfect 2-0 record in preseason. Miami registered a 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons and followed it up with a hard-fought 13-6 triumph over the Washington Commanders.

With Week 1 just over a fortnight away, the Dolphins left their starters on the bench, while the Buccaneers sent theirs out for one series. However, the two teams' backups still combined to deliver an entertaining contest.

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Buccaneers vs. Dolphins Preseason Week 3 Summary

The Bucs got on the board early, as running back Rachaad White punched the ball into the endzone from four yards out to give his a 7-0 lead.

The Dolphins' offense struggled in the first half and the Buccaneers capitalized. A 51-yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin two minutes into the second quarter followed by a perfect connection between quarterback Kyle Trask and wide receiver Ryan Miller six minutes later saw Tampa take a 17-0 lead.

Skylar Thompson and the Dolphins offense finally woke up late in the second quarter as the quarterback found tight end Hayden Rucci in the endzone to cut his team's deficit to 10 with just over two minutes left.

In the third quarter, it was the Buccaneers' offense's turn to go cold and the Dolphins' opportunity to capitalize on it. With 1:08 left on the clock, Thompson found wide receiver Kyric McGowan in the endzone for a one-yard touchdown pass that cut the home team's lead to three.

However, Trask essentially iced the game early in the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tanner Knue to push the Buccaneers' lead back to 10 points.

With the clock winding down, players deep on the Buccaneers' depth chart entered the game and the Dolphins took out Thompson and sent in veteran quarterback Mike White to help inspire a comeback. However, he couldn't do much as Miami suffered its first loss in the preseason.

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Buccaneers vs. Dolphins Preseason Week 3 stats

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had the perfect workout in the game's opening series as he completed all of his three pass attempts for 54 yards.

His deputy Kyle Trask also had a good outing. He found a teammate on 17 of his 24 pass attempts, with two ending up in the endzone for touchdowns.

The Buccaneers' ground game wasn't particularly impressive. Bucky Irving led the way with six carries for 26 yards, while White had four for 16 and a touchdown. In the receiving corps, Cody Thompson had a good game, as he caught seven passes for 45 yards. On defense, linebacker Chris Braswell got Tampa's sole sack of the night.

For the Dolphins, Skylar Thompson gave the team a reason to have faith in him in Tua Tagovailoa's absence. The 27-year-old completed 19 of his 27 pass attempts for 190 yards and two touchdowns. His sole interception was his only blemish of the night.

Wide receiver Mallik Washington was the Dolphins' most prolific rusher in the game. He carried the ball only once on a smooth fake hand-off move and ran for 40 yards. Jaylen Wright got the heaviest workload on the ground, rushing the ball seven times for 36 yards.

He was also vital in the passing game and caught four passes for 41 yards. He could climb on the Dolphins' depth chart after an impactful outing tonight. Rucci had an impressive outing, hauling five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Up next for the Buccaneers is their season-opener against the Washington Commanders at home, while the Miami Dolphins will host the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium in the early kickoff slate in Week 1.