The Miami Dolphins are out of playoff contention and facing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad that desperately needs a win.
With a loss, the Buccaneers could be eliminated Sunday and hand the NFC South crown to the Carolina Panthers.
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But wins haven’t come easy for Tampa Bay in the latter half of the year. The Bucs come to Hard Rock Stadium with three consecutive losses and defeats in six of their last seven games. That nosedive has turned a 6-2 start to the year into a 7-8 record that has Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
Will the Dolphins play spoiler and guarantee the Buccaneers a losing record? Here’s how pundits predict the Week 17 matchup will go:
USA Today
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Jarrett Bell: Buccaneers, 27-17
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Nick Brinkerhoff: Buccaneers, 28-17
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Chris Bumbaca: Buccaneers, 25-21
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Nate Davis: Buccaneers, 31-16
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Tyler Dragon: Buccaneers, 25-18
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Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: Buccaneers, 24-23
NFL.com
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Ali Bhanpuri: Buccaneers, 27-21
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Brooke Cersosimo: Buccaneers, 28-20
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Dan Parr: Buccaneers, 28-22
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Gennaro Filice: Buccaneers, 28-21
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Tom Blair: Buccaneers, 26-20
ESPN
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Stephania Bell: Buccaneers
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Jeremy Fowler: Buccaneers
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Pamela Maldonado: Dolphins
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Lindsey Thiry: Buccaneers
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Sam Wickersham: Buccaneers
CBS Sports
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Tyler Sullivan: Buccaneers
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Jamey Eisenberg: Buccaneers
Bottom line
If not for ESPN’s Pamela Maldonado, it would be a clean sweep for the Buccaneers. Here’s the final tally:
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This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: NFL picks: Experts predict Dolphins vs. Buccaneers in Week 17