Scully’s NFL notebook: Miami is Tua Tagovailoa's team

Week 15 of the NFL season featured excitement and some unexpected results, as the Jets and Bengals both won as double-digit underdogs.

Does Week 16 have more surprises in store?

Let’s get to my weekly NFL notebook!

Even when the Jets win, they lose

New York opted to keep its embattled head coach until the end of the season, and Adam Gase orchestrated a salvo before his exit, as the Jets held on to defeat the Rams in Week 15.

It was a brutal blow to the organization and potentially cost the Jets an opportunity to draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Jacksonville, which has the same 1-13 record as New York, now owns the first pick in the NFL Draft, because of a tiebreaker (strength of schedule).

The Jets would have been better off letting Gase go after they got blown out by Seattle in Week 14, when they lost 40-3.

Being part of a winless team is an ugly distinction, and the players and coaches wanted the victory badly, but Jets fans got the short end of the stick.

New York was able to pressure Jared Goff, kept the Rams quarterback off balance, and Jets punter Braden Mann made a touchdown-saving tackle late in the fourth quarter that would have given Los Angeles the lead.

The Rams really laid an egg, given they had something to play for, and dropped a game behind Seattle in the NFC West standings with the loss.

Slow-starting Tampa

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like a dangerous playoff team in the second half of Week 15, when they outscored Atlanta by a 31-10 margin. The problem is, they were down 17-0 at halftime.

The Buccaneers have failed to record first-quarter points since Nov. 15. Since a 38-3 loss to New Orleans in Week 9, Tampa Bay has not been outscored in the second half, but the Bucs spotted every opponent an early advantage, except Minnesota, which would have led at halftime if it didn’t miss three first-half field goals.

Tampa Bay must break the habit of starting slowly. It is a terrible formula for the postseason.

In first half against Atlanta, the Buccaneers lined up to attack downfield, and they did so with no plan to protect Tom Brady, who proved ineffective under constant pressure for the opening 30 minutes.

The Buccaneers addressed their protection problems at halftime. They brought in extra tight ends, ran more play action, and Brady lit up the Falcons secondary with 320 passing yards over the final two quarters.

Tagovailoa leads Dolphins to gritty win

Miami was shorthanded at wide receiver and was missing top tight end Mike Gesicki against New England in Week 15.

It didn’t matter, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to a 22-12 win.

Other than rookie Lynn Bowden (who led the way with six receptions), I wasn’t too familiar with Miami’s receivers. Isaiah Ford, Mack Hollins, Adam Sheehan, and Durham Smythe all caught passes.

Tagovailoa wasn’t perfect — he tossed a first-quarter interception after the Dolphins drove 14 plays to New England’s 3-yard line — but he showed poise to complete 20 of his 26 passes.

This is his team now.

The rookie quarterback also added a pair of rushing touchdowns, as the Dolphins piled up 250 yards on the ground.

Miami has won eight of its last 10 games, and the Dolphins hold the seventh spot in the playoff race, at 9-5. However, there is no margin for error. Baltimore is presently outside of the playoff bubble with the same record.

The Dolphins conclude the regular season with road games against Las Vegas and Buffalo.

Wager on Week 16 of the NFL season now at BetAmerica!