The Pittsburgh Steelers maintained their lead in the AFC North at the end of Week 15 of the NFL. In the 28:15 win over the Miami Dolphins, several series continued and Aaron Rodgers set a record.
Dolphins @ Steelers: At a glance
- The Steelers maintained their narrow lead in the AFC North with another win on Monday night, extending an impressive streak.
- The Dolphins, whose cold streak also continued, are now officially out of the playoff race.
- Aaron Rodgers set a record at age 42.
Dolphins @ Steelers: The game report
In the icy cold (around -8 degrees Celsius at kickoff), the Miami Dolphins struggled as usual and were slow to get into the game at Acrisure Stadium. The first quarter ended accordingly with an interception by cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. against Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins still scored their first points with a 54-yard field goal five minutes before halftime, but they didn’t get much more.
The Steelers responded before the break with a 12-play drive that Connor Heyward completed with a tush push for a touchdown. It was the first of four touchdowns in a row that Pittsburgh scored late in the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers found Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 19-yard touchdown pass and later found DK Metcalf for one of 28 yards. At the end, tight end Jonnu Smith also ran 14 yards into the end zone.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, who failed to achieve anything for long periods and achieved a total of -20 total yards in the third quarter, woke up late and made cosmetic results in the fourth quarter with two touchdown receptions from tight end Darren Waller, which, however, came much too late.
The result means that the Steelers are one game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, while the Dolphins no longer have a mathematical chance of making the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins (6-8) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6)
Result: 15:28 (0:0, 3:7, 0:14, 12:7) BOXSCORE
Dolphins @ Steelers: Key stats
- Rodgers completed 23/27 passes for 224 yards (2 TD). At 42, he is the oldest quarterback in NFL history to complete at least 85 percent of his passes in a game.
- It remains the same: Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin remains undefeated on Monday Night. The Steelers have won their 23rd Monday Night Game at home in a row. The last time they lost one at home was in 1991.
- The Dolphins, meanwhile, continued their series of defeats, in which the temperature was below 4 degrees Celsius at the start. It was her 14th loss in such conditions in a row and Tagovailoa has never won.
The star of the game: Defensive Front (Steelers)
The Steelers, who had to play without edge rusher TJ Watt (lung surgery), compensated for this loss very well and controlled the line of scrimmage. The pass rush worked and four players had a total of four sacks against Tagovailoa. In addition, the Dolphins’ recently explosive run game was held at an average of 3.9 yards.
The flop of the game: Offense (Dolphins)
Apart from the two late touchdowns in garbage time, this unit once again achieved very little in the cold (285 total yards). Aside from the low production, it was also noticeable that they showed little urgency for much of the second half despite being behind, before – when it was already too late – they picked up the pace towards the end.
The highlight of the game
Short passes are the norm for the Steelers these days. Metcalf made the most of it on his 28-yard touchdown catch, breaking through and evading tackles and becoming unstoppable on the way to the end zone.
