Since their 1976 inceptions, the Buccaneers and Dolphins have met just 10 times in regular season play; each meeting has provided plenty of excitement. That started with their inaugural meeting which saw RB Morris Owens set an NFL record by scoring three touchdowns on Tampa’s opening kickoff return – an act which caused some initial chaos!
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1. 1982 Monday Night Football
Since 1976 when expansion franchises first met each other, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins have shared an entertaining rivalry. Though rarely meeting during regular season play, their two-hour drive makes preseason matches all the more likely – they have met 30 times! Also being in the same division allows these clubs to meet in playoffs should a players strike shorten or tie for most wins within their conference respectively.
On Monday Night Football in 1982’s second week shortened by players’ strike, these two teams met on Monday Night Football for their second meeting of an 11-week regular season shortened to nine. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated these teams thanks to Michael Pittman’s 127 yards on 15 carries including one touchdown run of 57 yards; Joey Galloway registered career-high 96 receiving yards; while safety Will Allen tackled David Woodley for an end zone safety that sealed their win for Tampa Bay.
Morris Owens held onto his record until 1985 at Raymond James Stadium when they met again for a more high-scoring game, one where Dan Marino found Jimmie Giles three of four touchdown passes to create one of Tampa Bay’s most memorable shootouts ever witnessed.
This game marked ESPN’s inaugural Monday Night Football broadcast and also for its theme song – a cover of Little Richard’s 1962 classic “Rip It Up.” Ultimately, Tampa Bay would win both remaining meetings between them to tie their series at six wins each.
2. 1985 Monday Night Football
As Tampa entered the NFL in 1976, team officials were eager to establish an in-state rivalry with Miami Dolphins – then an established and popular franchise in Florida; fans in Tampa wanted their new team to go head-to-head against these established giants.
In 1985, this matchup between Chicago and Miami featured Dan Marino – who had led Miami to a Super Bowl appearance the previous season – as league MVP and an explosive first half for both sides saw 31 first half points scored by Miami while Chicago defense had no answer for Marino, who threw three touchdown passes during this contest.
Tampa Bay took control of this matchup during the final minutes of the fourth quarter with an incredible, 89-yard kickoff return touchdown from their own end zone in order to claim victory – one that would go down in history as one of its most exciting matches ever seen on Monday Night Football. This memorable and riveting battle provided one of its greatest memories ever!
The teams met again the following year at Raymond James Stadium for a regular season game that marked Jon Gruden’s inaugural coaching of the Buccaneers as well as Cadillac Williams’ breakout performance in which he set a franchise-record 153 yards on 14 carries for Tampa Bay.
This game also demonstrated the complex nature of NFL television contracts. Due to a disagreement between contracts, Tampa Bay had to switch its primary market from Orlando to Jacksonville so their game would air on Jacksonville TV channels despite having many Dolphins and Buccaneers fans in Orlando area. Regardless, Tampa Bay eventually prevailed and won their inaugural regular season victory since joining NFL franchise history.
3. 1988 Monday Night Football
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins square off against each other it is always a big event. Due to their 200-mile proximity and conference divisional divisions they don’t meet often but when they do it’s often exciting. Since 2002 they’ve only met 10 times during regular season action but twice on Monday Night Football!
On Halloween Night of 1988, they first met. That game drew the highest Monday Night crowd in NFL history at that time and gave Buccaneers their debut appearance in a nationally televised primetime game – it also marked an important personal reunion: Wayne Huizenga was reunited with Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway who refused to sign with Indianapolis Colts after being sent from Denver.
As both teams struggled on offense, defenses prevailed. The first points came from two turnovers returned by Tampa Bay safety Michael Boulware for touchdowns and recovered by Miami’s Brian Sochia; later Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann broke his leg after being tackled by Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor; this horrifying injury was captured live and viewers got to witness its slow-motion replay.
The Bucs held onto their 22-19 victory in their second Monday Night Football appearance with a Super Bowl-like atmosphere, featuring performances by Goo Goo Dolls and U2 prior to kickoff and former President George H.W. Bush performing the pregame coin toss.
4. 1997 Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football makes it rare for in-state rivals to meet on national television, yet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins have met twice on national TV in primetime games since 1977 – both times, the Bucs were victorious thanks to Warren Sapp stealing Steve Young’s ball before tackling him during a failed reverse play and eventually holding off a late surge from Miami and winning close contest.
Last time these teams faced off on Monday Night Football was during 2013, and resulted in a 22-19 Tampa Bay victory. After taking an early lead and holding it through to victory, this marked the first time since realignment that all four divisions appeared on MNF at once.
This game also boasted one of the more unique endings ever witnessed on Monday Night Football (MNF). With mere seconds remaining, the Steelers attempted a field goal but it was blocked by Jaguars; Chris Hudson then collected the ball and ran down the sideline before scoring an unlikely winning touchdown and scoring the extra point after ABC broadcast ended.
This was their second meeting under Monday Night Football and it was quite entertaining. Both teams traded touchdowns early, before Cadillac Williams and Mike Alstott scored two rushing touchdowns to put the Bucs ahead in the third quarter. Yet with mere minutes remaining in the game, Miami nearly pulled off an unexpected comeback!
5. 2000 Monday Night Football
With Wayne Huizenga joining Miami and Malcolm Glazer taking over Tampa Bay, their intrastate rivalry was reignited. Meeting on Monday Night Football for their inaugural regular-season matchup of this decade, both franchises enjoyed successful campaigns – the Bucs winning their second division crown while Dolphins finished second overall.
This game would prove to be one of the most memorable moments in Tampa Bay history, featuring back-and-forth field goals before Warrick Dunn caught a 28-yard touchdown pass and gave Tampa Bay the edge. Cadillac Williams ran for 20 yards for another score before Martin Gramatica tied things late with a field goal from 35 yards out to tie up this encounter.
St. Louis fumbled, forcing Tampa to punt deep inside their own territory; but, miraculously, safety Darren Sharper recovered it for an interception that sealed victory – their first Monday Night Football victory ever! This win put Tampa back into playoff contention and marked their inaugural appearance on this platform.
The following year, both teams would meet again and it was another high-scoring affair. Both squads were coming off of strong seasons and battled all game long – the score remaining tied until RB Michael Pittman scored on just 15 carries for 127 yards with his final-quarter 57-yard touchdown run sealing Tampa Bay’s victory and making MNF history by featuring all division teams over three weeks.