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The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in first place in the AFC North.
On a cold Monday night in Pittsburgh, the Steelers (8-6) defeated the Miami Dolphins (6-8) 28-15.
The Dolphins scored the first points of the game with a field goal after a defensive battle for much of the first half. The Steelers completed a 12-play, 60-yard touchdown drive at the end of the second period, part of 28 unanswered points between three quarters.
Pittsburgh has won two in a row.
The Dolphins’ loss ended their winning streak at four, and mathematically eliminated them from playoff contention.
USA TODAY Sports breaks down the winners and losers of Week 15’s AFC games on “Monday Night Football.”
winner
Steelers defense without TJ Watt
The Steelers’ defense was solid even without their best player, TJ Watt, who underwent lung surgery last week. Watt suffered a partially collapsed lung during dry needling at the team facility on Dec. 10. The Steelers’ defense played well even without the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Pittsburgh held Miami to just three points and had a takeaway in the first half.
The Steelers defense negated Miami’s offense in the third quarter. The Dolphins gained -20 yards in the period.
The Steelers’ defense sacked Tua Tagovailoa four times and intercepted him once. They allowed two touchdowns in garbage time in the fourth quarter, but it made the game seem more competitive than it actually was.
Dolphins running back Devon Ashen was held to 60 rushing yards.
steelers offense
Entering Week 15, the Steelers ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in total offense (284.5), passing offense (195.2) and run offense (89.2). That was shown in the first half. But Pittsburgh came back in the second half.
The Steelers had 21 points and 220 total yards after halftime.
Kenneth Gainwell had 126 yards from scrimmage.
DK Metcalf had a strong touchdown catch. He had three catches for 55 yards and one touchdown.
The Steelers had 201 yards passing and 135 yards rushing for 336 yards of total offense. These numbers represent an improvement from the average.
aaron rodgers
Rodgers was effective in the win. He completed 23 of 27 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He now has multiple touchdown passes in 166 career games.
Mike Tomlin’s .500 streak
Remember the chants of “Light Mike Tomlin on fire”? Those calls seem to be a thing of the past.
Tomlin is closing in on 19 points.th His streak of consecutive seasons with a batting average of .500 or higher is the longest tenure as a head coach in NFL history.
loser
Dolphins’ playoff hopes
The loss eliminated Miami from the AFC playoff race. The Dolphins entered Week 15 on a four-game winning streak.
Tua Tagovailoa in cold weather
If the temperature is below 40 degrees, Tagovailoa will be 0-6.
Tagovailoa pitched a league-leading 15 innings.th Interception. The interception occurred on an underthrown deep pass to Jaylen Waddle in the first quarter. The underthrown pass won’t quiet the critics about his arm strength.
The Dolphins quarterback had 254 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Most of his positive plays occurred with games out of reach. He had some passes that could have been intercepted.
Miami 3rd quarter
The Dolphins didn’t show up past halftime.
The Dolphins’ defense allowed 14 points and 163 total yards in the third quarter. The crime was even worse.
Miami’s offense was abysmal, with -20 yards of total offense in the third quarter. The Dolphins ran a total of six plays during this period, but nothing worked.
first half attack
Both defenses won in the first half. The first two quarters resembled a Pirates-Marlins baseball game. The Steelers entered halftime with a 7-3 lead, but both teams struggled offensively.
The Dolphins went 1-4 on third down when Tua Tagovailoa underthrew Jaylen Waddle with a deep pass that Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. picked off.
Pittsburgh punted on its first three possessions. The Steelers completed a 60-yard touchdown drive on their final offensive series of the first half.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TylerDragon.
