DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler, entering his 12th season, has an extensive history against just about every NFL team.

Cutler’s history against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Miami’s Week 1 opponent -- has positives and negatives.

Here is the good news: Cutler is 4-1 in his career against Tampa Bay. That alone should inspire confidence with the Dolphins, especially after Cutler beat the Buccaneers with less talented offenses in Chicago (3-1) and Denver (1-0).

While his record against the Buccaneers is good, his stats are not. Cutler’s most recent outing against Tampa Bay last November was disastrous, as Chicago lost 36-10. He was 16 of 30 for 182 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a lost fumble that led to a safety. Cutler’s three-turnover game led to a season-low 4.0 QBR and 55.1 passer rating.

Last year’s game is the best gauge because Tampa Bay has many of the same players and same defensive scheme. It also is an accurate measure of where Cutler, 34, is at this stage of his career. The Bucs will draw from last season’s defensive performance and implement it Sunday.

Additional numbers to consider with Cutler against Tampa Bay:

In two meetings in 2014 and 2015 -- both wins by the Bears -- Cutler averaged 5.3 yards per attempt, nearly two yards below his career average (7.23 yards).

Cutler upped that number slightly to 6.07 yards per attempt during a loss to Tampa Bay last season, but that included a 50-yard "Hail Mary" touchdown before halftime that padded those numbers.

In five games against Tampa Bay, Cutler has thrown five touchdowns, four interceptions and has one lost fumble.

Cutler’s career QBR against the Buccaneers is 43.56 on a 100-point scale.

Tampa Bay’s strategy against Cutler was clear: Take away the deep plays. Look for more of the same when the Dolphins host the Buccaneers on Sunday. It will be up to Cutler, who is aggressive, to remain patient against Tampa Bay. Cutler showed in the preseason he likes to test the deep level of the field with a big completion to second-year receiver DeVante Parker.

Cutler also has to keep everyone happy on offense. This is the most talented group of skill players he’s had in his career, led by Pro Bowlers Jarvis Landry and Jay Ajayi. Kenny Stills is a speedy deep threat who led the team with nine touchdown receptions in 2016. The Dolphins also acquired former Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas this offseason.

“They all want the ball,” Cutler said bluntly. “That’s pretty standard throughout the league. But they’re really unselfish guys. They block for each other. They run off [defenders] for each other. They’re doing every little thing possible to help each other. I think whenever we do score or guys make big plays, you can see the other guy is excited for them. That’s genuine stuff and that’s good.”

Cutler enters Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay with momentum. He looked sharp in the preseason and finished 7 of 12 passing for 129 yards, one touchdown and one lost fumble.

Cutler has done a good job in the preseason of balancing his aggressiveness with knowing when to throw the ball away or take the sack, which is key in Adam Gase’s offense. Cutler had his highest touchdown-to-interception ratio (plus-1.92) under Gase with the Bears in 2015.

“You kind of figure things out [as far as] when to push the envelope and when just to take the sack and say, ‘Hey, they won. They won that play. Let’s just save it for another down,’” Cutler said.

Cutler has 37 multi-interception games in his career. Keeping that number down is key to the overall success of Miami’s season.