The Miami Dolphins pulled off the upset on Sunday, defeating the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 20-17 in their second-to-last game of the 2025 season.
After starting the season with a 1-6 record, the team now sits with seven wins after going 6-3 over their last nine matchups. That will have to be considered when owner Stephen Ross sits down with head coach Mike McDaniel this upcoming offseason and decides whether or not he deserves a fifth season as the head-man-in-charge of the South Florida franchise. For those who are itching for a new head coach for Miami, however, keeping eyes on the Sunday Night Football contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens might be something you’d be interested in doing, as recent rumors have said that whichever coach loses that game may be on the way out after a long stint with their current club.
Either way, Miami seems focused on a youth movement, at the moment. Plenty of contributors from their Week 17 win fit that bill, including our Fins Up player of the week.
Fins Up
This week’s Fins Up player is rookie 7th round quarterback Quinn Ewers. Ewers made just his second start of the season this past Sunday against the Buccaneers, and this one went much better than his first start a week ago. Against Tampa Bay, Ewers completed 14 of 22 passes (63.6%) for 172 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he did not throw an interception after throwing two the previous week.
Ewers will have one more chance to impress when the team travels to New England to face the Patriots in the final regular season game of the year for Miami. The Patriots will have plenty to play for, as the AFC East division champions are still trying to wrestle the number one seed in the playoffs away from the Denver Broncos. If Ewers can have a good showing, there’s a chance he could find himself as Miami’s starting quarterback for the 2026 season — especially if McDaniel is retained as coach. At the very least, it seems as if Ewers can provide solid backup play for the Dolphins for the next few seasons.
Fins Down
This week’s Fins Down player is wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Waddle went catchless against the Buccaneers — partly due to a rib injury that he suffered while carrying the ball on an end-around play early in the game. The receiver was in and out of the contest from there.
Without Tyreek Hill this season, Waddle has been Miami’s number one option at the position. He has turned in mixed results. Waddle has 725 receiving yards since Hill’s injury in Week 4 — good for just 60.4 yards per game during that timeframe. He has 47 receptions since Week 4 as well — good for just 3.9 per game. Finally, he has caught just four touchdowns since Hill’s season ended — which averages out to just 0.33 touchdowns per game as the number one option this season.
3.9 receptions for 60.4 yards and 0.33 touchdowns extrapolated out for an entire season of play would give Waddle a 66.3 catch, 1,026.8 yard season — with just 5.6 touchdowns. I’m sorry, but those are not elite wide receiver numbers… and Waddle is being paid like an elite wide receiver. Some will point to Miami’s quarterback play as the reason why Waddle is having such a down year, and maybe those people are right, but the Dolphins will most certainly be without Tyreek Hill moving forward, and as a result, Waddle will need to step his game up in 2026 — no matter who lines up under center.
