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Dolphins (6-9) vs. Buccaneers (7-8)

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Sunday, Hard Rock Stadium

TV: FOX (Ch. 7 in Miami-Dade, Broward counties; Ch. 29 in Palm Beach); RADIO: WBGG (105.9-FM), WIOD (610-AM), WTZU (94.9-FM, Spanish); Palm Beach: ESPN (106.3 FM); WEFL (760-AM, Spanish)


Coaches: The Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel is 34-34, including the playoffs, in his fourth season as a head coach; the Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles is 61-76 in his eighth season among Miami (interim), the New York Jets and Tampa Bay.

Series: The Buccaneers lead the all-time series, 7-5. Tampa Bay has won the past three, but the teams haven’t played since 2021.

Weather: 77 degrees, 61 percent humidity; 0 percent chance of precipitation, 4 mph winds from E, gusts up to 7 mph.


Line: The Buccaneers are 6-point favorites; the over-under is 44 points.

Injuries: Dolphins — Out: S Minkah Fitzpatrick (calf), DT Benito Jones (back), CB Isaiah Johnson (knee); Doubtful: WR Dee Eskridge (toe); Questionable: C Aaron Brewer (neck), LB Tyrel Dodson (chest), OL Andrew Meyer (triceps), K Jason Sanders (right hip); Physically unable to perform: OL Liam Eichenberg; Injured reserve: WR Tyreek Hill (knee), RG James Daniels (pectoral), Sanders, Meyer, CB Storm Duck (knee), CB JuJu Brents (ankle), DB Jordan Colbert (neck), LB Caleb Johnson (shoulder), CB Kader Kohou (knee), RB Alexander Mattison (neck), CB Artie Burns (knee), TE Jalin Conyers, CB Jason Maitre, OL Obinna Eze, OL Germain Ifedi, OL Yodny Cajuste …

Buccaneers — Out: OLB Calijah Kancey (pectoral/IR), OLB Anthony Nelson (knee), OT Tristan Wirfs (toe); Injured reserve: G Cody Mauch among eight players on list.

Noteworthy: Miami ranks No. 2 in rushing yards since its Week 10 win against Buffalo at 160.2 yards per game. …

The Dolphins are No. 5 in third down defense (32.7 percent) since that win over Buffalo. …

Unfortunately, the the Dolphins have allowed four of their past seven opponents to rush for 100 or more yards and they’ve gone 1-3 in those games. … 

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RB De’Von Achane (1,267 yards rushing) is No. 3 in the league in rushing yards and No. 1 in yards per carry (5.8). … 

QB Quinn Ewers (0 TDs, 2 INTs, 69.3 passer rating) is making his second start and third appearance of the season. …

Ewers displayed a good huddle presence, a lively arm and good pocket awareness last week against Cincinnati and should be better this week. …

DT Zach Sieler (5.5 sacks) has 4.5 sacks in the past three games. …

LB Jordyn Brooks (169 tackles) leads the league in tackles. … 

Tampa Bay is on a three-game losing streak and has lost six of its past seven games. …

The Buccaneers have a 55 percent chance to make the playoffs with their odds increasing if they win Sunday. …

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka (59 receptions, 910 yards, 6 TDs) is among the league’s best young talents. WR Mike Evans (25 receptions, 303 yards, 2 TDs) must always be watched. …

Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield (23 TDs, 8 INTs, 90.0 passer rating) has lost his magic this season as the injuries mount but remains a threat to ignite the offense. …

Bucs DT Vita Vea (28 tackles, 4.5 sacks) is a force in the interior.

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MIAMI — For Pelle Larsson, there is only one speed. Even when the second-year Miami Heat guard was out of view, it was still a matter of life in the fast lane.

So five games out due to a sprained ankle and then immediately injected into the starting lineup? No problem, as evidenced by Larsson’s 21 points in Friday night’s 126-111 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

“You should have seen his rehab sessions,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, as the Heat turned their attention to Saturday night’s visit by the Indiana Pacers to Kaseya Center. “Whether it was on the bike initially, it was just all out — almost a level of throwing up. I walked in on one of those sessions.

“And then also his court sessions, he just pushes the envelope. And so, he had the conditioning. It’s different than game conditioning.”

Yet determined to make it back as quickly as possible and as ready as possible — minus the projectiles.

“I can’t say I was going to vomit,” Larsson said of those grueling rehab sessions. “We were working really, really hard, going up and down with the guys who weren’t playing. I was still pretty gassed.

“But game by game it’s going to get better.”

The first game back was plenty good enough, with the 2024 second-round pick out of Arizona 9 of 13 from the field in 29:40, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers, with six rebounds and five assists.

“He’s a gamer,” Heat guard Norman Powell said. “He’s not only a gamer, he’s a game changer just with his physicality and energy effort on both sides of the floor. He kept plays alive, made it tough and difficult for every matchup he was on —  putting his face into plays, getting fouls.

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“We missed that about him, continuing to make winning plays whenever he’s on the floor.”

That led to a postgame debate of whether or how many times Larsson got hit in the face. Larsson said he did not feel any such contact, but Powell said Larsson was selling himself short.

Regardless, the energy and effort were real.

“For sure, for sure,” guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. said. “We’re so happy to have him back in this lineup. He’s the ultimate energy guy, really just gives everybody life and the spark that we desperately needed.

“So the fact that he was able to come in after so many games missed and just play like that just shows how hard of a worker and how great of a player he is.”

Also back Friday was forward Nikola Jovic, who missed four games with an elbow contusion.

While Jovic’s shooting struggles continued, going 3 of 14 for 10 points, he also had seven rebounds and four assists, with the Heat outscoring Atlanta by 10 in his 21:13.

“I think this was a good step for him to be able to contribute and impact the game without making shots,” Spoelstra said. “And you didn’t see some of the body language that sometimes has happened if he misses layups or misses open threes or has a turnover. He just got on to the next play and tried to help contribute to the next play.

“And he did some very good things. When he gets in better rhythm, I have no doubt that the shooting will be better. But you don’t want to just be reliant on whether the ball goes in and whether you can impact the game. So that was a good step.”

Heartening, Jovic said.

“During this time that I was injured, I talked a lot to assistant coaches and some of the people from the Heat and they helped me find a way to get back and to play quicker, just trying to think about the next play,” Jovic said.

The Heat on Saturday afternoon ruled out Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro against the Pacers.

It is the second consecutive game Adebayo has missed due to lower-back pain.

It is the ninth game that Herro has missed due to a toe contusion, having appeared in only six games this season, after September ankle surgery.

The only other players ruled out against the Pacers were two-way players Vlad Goldin and Jahmir Young, who are  in the G League, and guard Terry Rozier, who remains on NBA leave due to the FBI gambling investigation.