Slumping Buccaneers still control playoff fate when they visit Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers still can rescue their season and clinch another division title.

That's even with a two-month slide that would currently keep them out of the playoffs. The path to the postseason narrow, yet achievable. If Tampa Bay wins out the final two weeks, it will reach the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season and secure a fifth straight NFC South title.

The first test will be Sunday, when the Buccaneers (7-8) close their road slate against the Miami Dolphins (6-9). The Dolphins were eliminated from the playoffs after their loss at Pittsburgh two weeks ago and will start rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers for the second consecutive game.

Still, victories have become scarce for the Buccaneers lately. After a 30-19 win over playoff-bound San Francisco on Oct. 12 that put them at 5-1, the Buccaneers have lost seven of nine. They fell one game behind Carolina (8-7) in the division following a 23-20 loss against the Panthers on Sunday.

The Bucs still control their fate because they end the season at home against the Panthers. If Tampa Bay and Carolina finish 9-8, the Bucs win the division by virtue of a better record against common opponents.

“We understand what we put ourselves in and we understand we’re the only ones that can get us out of it,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “The work ethic continues. The confidence continues with each other and we just have to stay with that.”

Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield threw for 145 yards against Carolina — his third-lowest output of the season.

Trailing by three, the Bucs had an opportunity at a tying field goal or go-ahead touchdown when they drove to the Carolina 37 with 49 seconds remaining. But Mayfield was intercepted by Lathan Ransom, ending the Bucs’ comeback bid.

“It’s a long season. Everything we want is still right in front of us despite everything that’s going on,” Mayfield said. “You have to endure the storm. It’s the ups and downs of it and that’s just how it goes.”

The Dolphins nearly overcame a 1-6 start. Their 30-13 victory over division-rival Buffalo on Nov. 9 highlighted a stretch during which they won five of six and had them in the playoff periphery.

But the Dolphins’ postseason hopes ended with the 28-15 loss at Pittsburgh. Then they were routed 45-21 at home by Cincinnati on Sunday, resulting in the second consecutive losing season under Mike McDaniel. Miami reached the playoffs in McDaniel’s first two seasons, but is still without a postseason victory since 2000, the longest drought in the league.

“The Bucs are going to be very on it, it’s going to be important to them,” McDaniel said. “From a competitive standpoint, that’s what our team needs to go against and beat.”

The Buccaneers ran the ball more than they threw it against Carolina. Even though Mayfield had all of his wide receivers available for only the second game this season, they ran 33 times and threw 28.

The Dolphins are 26th against the run and tied for 14th against the pass so keeping the ball on the ground makes sense this week. Still, Mayfield knows he has to get the ball to wideouts Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan.

“We (have) guys at every position that need to touch the ball multiple times a game,” Mayfield said.

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard was an assistant coach in Miami for seven seasons under three head coaches: McDaniel, Brian Flores and Adam Gase.

Grizzard was the offensive quality control for the Dolphins on McDaniel’s staff in 2022-23. He joined the Buccaneers as the pass game coordinator in 2024 and was elevated after Liam Coen left to coach Jacksonville.

“I would not be in this position that I’m in without Mike,” Grizzard said. “There was essentially a new coordinator every year in Miami, there were coaches getting fired essentially every year. It’s a new system and you see a lot of different ways of calling plays, designing offenses, route running, YAC (yards after catch) ability, marrying the run and pass game. Listening to Mike explain that and the staff that he brought in and the system he had, personally brought all that together.

"That was something that we really leaned on last year with Liam, trying to incorporate that here.”

The Dolphins have been disastrous in the third quarter all season, highlighted by their unraveling last week.

After keeping it close with a three-point halftime deficit, Miami turned the ball over on four straight drives against the Bengals — fumble, interception, turnover on downs, interception — which Cincinnati turned into touchdowns.

The Dolphins have been outscored 113-27 in the third quarter this season and been held scoreless 12 times. Miami has only outscored its opponent in the third quarter twice, in wins against the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons. In the last two weeks, the Steelers and Bengals outscored Miami 35-0.

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) watches from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield plays against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers throws a pass during the half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield leaves the field after their loss in an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Powerful winter storms brought the wettest Christmas season to Southern California in years, sending mud and debris sliding and half-filling homes with mud.

There was still a risk of more flash flooding and mudslides Friday despite slackening rain around Los Angeles, the National Weather Service warned.

“It’s not going to take a whole lot to create some hazards on the highways,” said Mike Wofford, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Los Angeles. “Still not quite out of the woods, but for the most part, the worst is over.”

Firefighters rescued over 100 people Thursday in Los Angeles County, with one helicopter pulling 21 people from stranded cars, officials said. LA police also responded to more than 350 traffic collisions, the mayor's office said.

In Wrightwood, a 5,000-resident mountain town about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, the roads turned into rivers when relentless rains came down Wednesday, residents said. On Friday, cars were still buried up to their windows in rocks, debris and thick mud.

Sherry Tocco's neighborhood was devastated, she said Friday. Several of her neighbors’ homes were destroyed, but her house was spared from mud and debris.

The river was raging and “then it just came through and destroyed, took everything with it,” she said.

A shed was washed down the road, and several others were strewn about. Firefighters helped her evacuate earlier this week and she slept in her car on Christmas Eve.

Tocco, who has lived in the area since 1965 and raised her kids there, said there's no reason to leave, even after the storms.

“Just keep shoveling, what else can I do?” Tocco said.

Most of the town lost power and many were buying fire starters, logs and propane for generators to keep warm, said Eric Faulkner, manager of Mountain Hardware.

“My phone's been nonstop of, ‘do you have this?’ or ‘can you help me with that?’" Faulkner said outside the store while it rained Friday.

Manny Simpson, a Wrightwood resident of 14 years, said the storms were the worst he's seen. His basement was flooded, but he was still counting himself lucky.

“I've seen some other houses and I feel good about what happened to me," he said.

Fire officials rescued several people from trapped cars earlier this week when mud and debris cascaded down a road into town. There was one injury reported.

In nearby the mountain town of Lytle Creek, raging waters destroyed a bridge Wednesday, cutting off a neighborhood to car traffic, resident Travis Guenther said. By Friday morning, he said, water subsided enough for people to walk across the debris.

Guenther and others were checking on neighbors Friday. One home had as much as 4 feet (122 centimeters) of debris piled up inside after mud blew through the front door earlier this week, he said.

“The guys are still trying to stay there but they can’t shut their doors,” he said. “They were stuck inside because there was a raging river on either side of them.”

Dozens of homes were in a similar situation. Another family started sleeping in their shed after mud filled their home, he said.

The system brought the wettest Christmas season to downtown Los Angeles in 54 years, the National Weather Service said. The area recorded 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain in three days, while the mountain areas saw up to 12 inches (30.5 centimeters), Wofford said.

Forecasters expected a dry weekend before more rain around New Year's Eve.

Waves near the San Francisco Bay Area could reach up to 25 feet (7.6 meters) Friday, and many parts of northern California remained under a flood watch through Friday.

More wind and as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snowfall an hour was expected in the Sierra Nevada, making mountain pass travel treacherous.

A falling tree killed a San Diego man Wednesday, news outlets reported. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in what appeared to be a weather-related crash. Heavy rain and flash flooding earlier this week in Northern California also caused at least one death, officials said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in six counties to allow state assistance.

The state deployed resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.

Associated Press writers Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California, and Sophie Austin in Oakland, California, contributed.

Workers work to restore power after severe storms, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

A car is flipped over along a storm-damaged road after a series of storms on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, near Phelan, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Mud covers the inside of a property after a series of storms on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Michelle Meyers inspects her property, buried in mud after a series of storms, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

A car is buried in mud after a series of storms Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)