All of the marbles are essentially on the table for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
While they can't pull ahead of the Carolina Panthers, the game in Miami is a must-win in order to avoid a colossal and historic collapse. The Bucs have lost six of the last seven since the bye week, and horror and bitterness are on the horizon. If the Bucs don't shape up quickly, Cancun tickets will be purchased this time next week.
Thankfully, Tampa Bay has a straightforward task at hand: win on Sunday. You'd think this would be fairly easy for a team coming off four straight NFC South titles, but wins have been hard to come by recently.
This matchup against the Dolphins is no easy task, but there are certainly keys to success.
Stop the run!
During the Buccaneers' seven wins this season, they've allowed just 83 rush yards per game. In the eight losses? Their opponent has gained 117 rush yards per game. While a discrepancy with these stats is expected, this vast one isn't.
The Bucs have been top four over the last two seasons in opponent rushing yards per game, keying their historic success. This season hasn't been much different, but team success has wavered simultaneously with stopping the run.
On the other side of the ball, the Dolphins' starting running back De'Von Achane has dominated this season. The third year back is third in the NFL in rushing yards this season, ahead of superstars Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and others.
His primary backup, rookie Ollie Gordon, has struggled this season, but second-year back Jaylen Wright has thrived lately. The Dolphins' 2024 4th round pick averages four yards per rush over eight games this season.
These two create a dynamic duo that is difficult to stop. The biggest key to the Buccaneers' success in Week 17 is stopping the run, and they'll certainly have their hands full.
Get Cade Otton involved
This one is simple: The Dolphins have allowed the second-fewest receiving yards to wide receivers all season, and the third-most against tight ends.
The Buccaneers haven't gotten tight end Cade Otton involved much this season outside of the five-game stretch from Weeks 5-10. The fourth-year tight end was on pace to break career benchmarks, but has struggled throughout the entirety of the Buccaneers' mid-season collapse.
The Dolphins inability to stop tight ends creates a predicament for Tampa Bay. The Bucs boast a large variety of star wide outs, causing Otton to go under-used. If the Buccaneers can use those receivers as decoys, Otton will likely be open more times than not.
For the Buccaneers to find offensive success in this all-important Week 17, Otton must be highly involved.