Dolphins vs Steelers Preview

The Dolphins head to Pittsburgh this week to take on the Steelers in a Monday night showdown. Miami is desperately trying to cling to its razor-thin playoff hopes and continue giving fans something to be excited about, while the Steelers need a win to keep the Ravens at bay in the AFC North.

The Dolphins enter the game playing inspired football, having won five of their last six, including four straight. It hasn’t always been pretty, but a win is a win, and to the shock of the entire NFL world (including myself), they head into Week 15 still not out of playoff contention—even after nearly all of the teams they needed to lose ended up winning. A victory would bring them back to .500 after starting 2–7 just six weeks ago.

Everyone wrote the Dolphins off as an uninspired team dead in the water, one in need of a hard reset and a complete rebuild both on the roster and in the front office. While that still may be true, they have shown the NFL—and more importantly, their fans—that they still care deeply about this game and are willing to compete every week, no matter how stacked the odds are against them. Kudos to the players for not giving up and for finding the fight needed to stay alive in the playoff race.

After navigating a very soft part of their schedule—which they handled as expected—now comes the hard part. Although not all of the next four opponents can truly be considered “hard” anymore given recent performances (at least three of them), it’s best to take things one week at a time.

The Steelers, with 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers looking very much like a 42-year-old, are somehow still above .500. And that’s despite the fact that neither their offense nor their defense has consistently looked like one belonging to a winning team. Most statistical categories place the Steelers in the bottom half of the league, yet here they are. I don’t understand how Mike Tomlin does it every year, but he always finds a way.

Although I always hate injuries—both from a human and football perspective—the T.J. Watt injury couldn’t have come at a better time for the Dolphins. Thankfully, he’s okay, as lung injuries are nothing to take lightly. Still, it undeniably works in Miami’s favor that he won’t play this week, as insensitive as that may sound. Watt is more than just a pass-rushing threat; he alters entire offensive game plans. Every snap must account for him when he’s on the field.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins have played things smartly (thank you, Mike McDaniel) by becoming a run-first offense this season. The combination of Tua having arguably the worst year of his career and the dominance of De’Von Achane, Ollie Gordon, and even Jaylen Wright demanded an adjustment—and it has paid off. Achane is nearly impossible to tackle, the offensive line is creating quality running lanes, and the fewer chances Tua has to make mistakes, the better off this team is.

Defensively, the Dolphins have been lights-out over the past few weeks, allowing an average of just 13.25 points per game over their last four. They’re flying to the ball, tackling with conviction, and playing like a team that truly has something to play for.

This game will be played in frigid temperatures, which never bodes well for Miami. While they performed well last week against the Jets in New Jersey, the game-time temperature hovered around 44 degrees. Pittsburgh on Monday night is a completely different animal. Temperatures are expected to be in the teens, with wind chills dipping below 10 degrees—conditions reminiscent of the record-setting cold playoff game against the Chiefs, where the Dolphins looked frozen in their tracks, both literally and figuratively. This will be the biggest test of the season to see if Miami can finally slay that demon.

Another demon the Dolphins must confront is their performance in primetime games over the past few years. Whenever the national spotlight is on them, they seem to fold and fail to play like a professional football team.

These two factors are deeply concerning, and I believe that trend continues Monday night.

Can the Dolphins save their season and keep their playoff hopes alive? Can they finally disprove the narrative surrounding their inability to perform in primetime? We’ll find out tomorrow night.

My Prediction: Steelers 24, Dolphins 14