The Miami Dolphins came into their Week 15 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a four game winning streak and having won five of their last six games. They were holding on to their slim playoff chances
and they were looking to keep the positivity around the team.
They leave Pittsburgh with nothing but questions and a miserable loss. The Dolphins’ defense came out hot, but everything fell apart in the second half and the Steelers put away Miami early, then held on as the Dolphins tried to make a comeback with some of the worst clock management possible.
The win keeps the Steelers a game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North division title race. The loss eliminates the Dolphins from the playoffs.
Below you will find our full-game recap of all the action. Reactions are in italics.
Final Score
Dolphins 15 – 28 Steelers
First Quarter
Dolphins start with big play, but stall after
The Dolphins opened with the ball after winning the toss, then opened the drive with a 20-yard gain on a pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to tight end Julian Hill. Miami did not do much after that, however, as running back De’Von Achane ran into fullback Alec Ingold and lost a yard, then was tripped up as he hurdled his way into the clear, falling for a four-yard gain on what could have been a hug gain. On 3rd-and-7, Tagovailoa was pressured and had to avoid it, throwing low toward tight end Darren Waller for an incomplete pass and a punt.
For a second, the Dolphins had something. The Hill gain was a great start, and Achane just missed breaking the second rush attempt for a huge gain, but everything led to a quick punt.
Steelers go three-and-out on opening possession
The Steelers began their opening drive with a pass to former Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith, but it only picked up two yards. Running back Kenneth Gainwell was stuffed for no gain on the second-down snap before a pass to Gainwell was stopped a yard shy of the marker. Pittsburgh punted on the three-and-out.
Great job by the defense, rallying to the ball on every play. The third-down pass looked like Gainwell would be able to take the short pass forward for the first down, but cornerback Rasul Douglas squared him up and linebacker Jordyn Brooks cleaned it up for the stop.
Tagovailoa short-arms a pass for an interception
Back-to-back runs from Achane started the drive, gaining 20 combined yards and moving Miami out to midfield. An 11-yard pass to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle continued to move the ball forward, but an underthrown pass toward Waddle on the fourth play was intercepted by cornerback Asante Samuel, ending any Miami threat.
Just a really bad throw from Tagovailoa. It was short the moment he released it. Waddle tried to play defense on the ball, but it was always destined to be picked.
Multiple fourth down conversions pushes Pittsburgh downfield before punt
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The Steelers were not afraid of using all four downs on their second drive, converting on a tush-push run from tight end Connor Heyward on 4th-and-Inches early in the drive, then going for it on 4th-and-3 shortly thereafter, converting on a nine-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to Gainwell. The three following plays featured Brooks stuffing Gainwell for a one-yard loss, linebacker Chop Robinson crushing running back Jaylen Warren on a reception for no gain, and Brooks sacking Rodgers for a nine-yard loss. The sack pushed the Steelers out of field goal range and ended the first quarter. Pittsburgh punted after the break.
What a time for Brooks to take over. Stuffing the run and recording a sack stopped any threat the Steelers may have had and was perfectly timed. Now Miami’s offense needs to do something.
Second Quarter
Dolphins return to run game, but come up short
Miami returned to running the ball on the next possession, starting with a handoff to running back Jaylen Wright for two yards. After a pass to Waller for eight yards, Achane gained five yards and three yards back two straight carries. On a 3rd-and-2 pass attempt, Tagovailoa scrambled, coming up half a yard short of the conversion and, after a delay of game penalty, the Dolphins punted.
The offense does not seem to have any rhythm right now. They are trying to figure it out, but it feels disjointed with no flow to it. Even the running plays feel forced. Miami needs to settle down and figure out what is going on. It cannot be just the fact that it is cold. They have to get moving.
Penalty, Zach Sieler shut down Steelers drive
The first breakthrough of the game appeared to come on Pittsburgh’s first play when Warren broke through for a 24-yard gain, but a holding penalty on Jonnu Smith backed up the Steelers into a 1st-and-20. A pass to wide receiver Adam Thieler and a pass to tight end Darnell Washington set up 3rd-and-3, but defensive tackle Zach Sieler pulled down Rodgers for the sack, leading to a punt.
Sieler has turned it on in recent weeks – likely because rookie Kenneth Grant is starting to find his footing in the NFL – and he just made a huge impact play there. Can Miami’s offense final wake up?
Miami opens the scoring
Achane started the drive for Miami with a four-yard gain, then, after an incomplete pass, Tagovailoa was forced out of the pocket and the running back found an empty spot in the zone where he could make a catch, picking up 24 yards on the reception. After running back Ollie Gordon picked up four yards and Achane added another five yards, Gordon was blown up in the backfield for a four yard loss. The Dolphins elected for a 54-yard field goal attempt, with kicker Riley Patterson connecting on a new career long.
In this game, three points feels like a win right there. That pass from Tagovailoa to Achane was well done, with the running back recognizing his quarterback was in trouble and looking for an empty space and Tagovailoa keeping his eyes downfield to find him. Gordon left the game after the third down run with an ankle injury, with Miami officially listing him as questionable.
Dolphins 3-0.
Dolphins penalties lead to Steelers score
Patterson, after hitting a career-long field goal, came up short on the kickoff, giving Pittsburgh the ball at the 40-yard line. Rodgers went to work immediately, finding Smith for 10 yards along the sideline. Two plays later, he found Washington for 13 yards, then Gainwell for 10 yards. After a timeout, Gainwell picked up four yards, leading to the two-minute warning. A five-yard pass to Gainwell and a run from Warren for no yards led to another Heyward tush-push for a first down on 4th-and-1. A pass to the flat to Gainwell picked up 10 yards before Gainwell was stopped for no gain, only to have a facemask penalty move the ball forward to the two-yard line and give Pittsburgh a first down. The first two runs from Warren picked up a yard, but set up 3rd-and-Goal, with Pittsburgh calling a timeout with 21 seconds remaining. Another tush-push led to the Steelers touchdown to take the lead.
Penalties are the story of this possession, with Miami committing way too many to think they could stop Pittsburgh’s offense. The kickoff gave the Steelers great field position, then the facemask penalty moved the ball to within tush-push range. The Dolphins have to do better.
Steelers 7-3.
Miami runs out the clock
The Dolphins handed the ball to Achane for seven yards, but, with no timeouts remaining, it ended the half.
Halftime Stats
Not good enough from the Miami offense. The defense has played well, but the special teams let them down on the last drive of the half. The offense needs to figure out why they look constipated and out of rhythm. The narrative of the cold has to end, and the only way to end it is for the Dolphins to slam the door on it. Right now, they are playing directly into it. This has been disappointing – but they are at least still in it.
Third Quarter
Steelers shove it down Dolphins’ throat on opening second half drive
The Steelers came out and smacked the Miami defense repeatedly on the first drive of the second half. Warren runs of six, three, and two yards moved Pittsburgh out to their 38-yard line before Gainwell gashed Miami for 38 yards. After another Gainwell run for two yards, Rodgers threw to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 19 yards and a touchdown.
Pittsburgh came out looking to prove they could run against Miami’s defense, and they did exactly that. The Steelers essentially doubled up around the halftime break – and now Miami has to answer. This game can either turn into a classic, or a Steelers blowout, and it feels like we are about at the tipping point right here.
Steelers 14-3
Dolphins continue flat performance
The Steelers’ kickoff was short, giving Miami the ball at the 40-yard line, setting them up with their best field position of the day. They proceeded to run for no gain, throw for a four-yard gain, and take a sack for a 12-yard loss. Miami punted on the three-and-out drive, continuing their flat offensive performance.
All the pressure is on the defense now. They cannot give up points here if Miami is going to stay in this game. The offense is doing absolutely nothing right now, and it does not look like they have an answer for anything Pittsburgh is throwing at them. Safety Jalen Ramsey, who was a cornerback for the Dolphins last year, came away with the sack and made sure the Miami sideline knew it. This is dangerously close to getting out of hand.
Steelers begin pouring it on
With a Dolphins offense that cannot do anything with the ball, the Steelers came out looking to put the game away. Rodgers went into attack mode, throwing the ball all around the field, and catching Miami with 12 men on the field at one point. Gainwell picked up 16 yards on the drive, but Rodgers threw for 61 yards and a touchdown to add on to the lead.
The Dolphins defense is in big hit mode, giving up yardage instead of making tackles. This is just getting ugly at this point.
Steelers 21-3.
Dolphins continue to feature inept offense
Miami, needing to make a statement and get back into the game quickly, lost a yard on first down, had an incomplete pass on second down, and allowed a sack on third down. The team punted on a miserable three-and-out possession – continuing to prove they are completely ineffective at this point.
You are down three touchdowns. You lose 12 yards and have the ball for 1:41. Just unacceptable. Miami is completely outmatched in this game.
Fourth Quarter
Steelers run out third quarter
After Miami did absolutely nothing with the ball, the Steelers started milking the clock, crushing any chances the Dolphins had for a comeback – not that the offense has a comeback in them. Warren and Gainwell took over, picking up 13 yards, as the clock continued to run, aided by a 15-yard penalty on Brooks for taunting after tackling tight end Pat Freiermuth, then standing over him. After the end of the quarter, Rodgers found Freiermuth for 22 yards, followed by a Gainwell run for five yards and a Warren run for 10 yards. On 1st-and-10 from the Miami 14-yard line, Jonnu Smith took a pitch for the score.
The Dolphins have nothing tonight. The defense showed up early, but the offense accomplishing absolutely nothing has crushed any stand the defense could make and now they are getting housed. Just ugly in every aspect tonight.
Steelers 28-3.
Dolphins offense stuns everyone by doing something
Down 25 with 12 minutes remaining in the game, the Dolphins offense showed up for the game. Tagovailoa threw for 56 yards on four-for-five passing, finding Achane, Waddle, and Waller on the possession. Achane added nine yards on the ground, and the drive was capped by Waller catching a six-yard jump ball in the endzone. Miami failed on the two-point conversion attempt.
Welcome to Pittsburgh, offense. Not sure where you have been, but hey, at least you made a cameo in the game. Great catch by Waller, with defenders literally hanging off of him. The offense needs to find some tempo, however. They ate so much time in huddles and at the line of scrimmage. Down 25, they took 3:20 to run six plays.
Steelers 28-9.
Pittsburgh runs clock on three-and-out possession
The Steelers ran for nine yards on three plays before punting, but they were able to run the clock down to 7:23 remaining on the drive.
Miami’s defense forced a three-and-out by the tiniest of margins, but it was a three-and-out.
Waller finds paydirt again
Miami continued to run the clock while trying to make a comeback, letting the time waste away despite moving the ball for the score. Getting the ball back with 7:23 remaining, they ran nine plays in 4:51 before Waller caught his second touchdown of the night, this time a 13-yard score in the back of the endzone. Along with Waller, Hill, Dulcich, and Achane all caught passes. Miami again failed on the two-point try.
What are the Dolphins doing? Why are they trying to pick up chunk yards and score, but allow time to run off the clock. It just does not make sense.
Steelers 28-15.
Dolphins finally realize the clock matters
The Steelers looked to run the clock, using Gainwell on the first two plays, picking up four yards, before Rodgers looked for a pass, then just laid down as Miami defensive tackle Zeek Biggers arrived for a sack. The Dolphins called a timeout after each play, finally recognizing they need time to score if they are going to somehow pull off a miracle. The Steelers punted, downing the ball at the Miami two-yard line.
What is with the time management in this game? Huddles and slow to the line when needing to hurry up, then using timeouts to stop the clock when the Steelers have it. Everything seems backwards in this.
Miami runs out of time in horrible time management ending
The Dolphins, continuing their baffling time management at the end of this game, ran out the clock with throws to the middle of the field. A team that should be in hurry up mode took a delay of game with 42 seconds left. They gained 37 yards over seven plays as the clock ran out.
Not sure what the Dolphins did in the second half, but this game should have have even been 28-15.
