The Pittsburgh Steelers extended their legendary Monday Night Football home winning streak this week. They defeated the Miami Dolphins 28-15 at a frigid Acrisure Stadium. This victory keeps Pittsburgh at the top of the AFC North standings. Meanwhile, the loss officially eliminated the Dolphins from the postseason race. The game was played in biting cold with a wind chill near 11 degrees.
Pittsburgh’s defense set the tone early in the contest. Even without star linebacker T.J. Watt, the unit dominated the line of scrimmage. Asante Samuel Jr. recorded a crucial first-quarter interception to stall a promising Miami drive. The Steelers sacked Tua Tagovailoa four times throughout the night. Tagovailoa struggled significantly in the freezing temperatures. He remains winless in NFL games where the mercury drops below 40 degrees.
The first half remained a defensive struggle for both sides. Miami took an early lead with a career-long 54-yard field goal from Riley Patterson. Pittsburgh finally broke through just before the intermission. Connor Heyward scored on a one-yard plunge with only 17 seconds left in the half. This touchdown gave the Steelers a slim 7-3 lead and shifted the game’s momentum.
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Pittsburgh completely took control during a lopsided third quarter. Aaron Rodgers showed his veteran poise by leading back-to-back touchdown drives. He connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 19-yard score. Shortly after, he found DK Metcalf for a spectacular 28-yard touchdown. Metcalf powered through multiple defenders to reach the end zone. The Steelers outscored the Dolphins 14-0 in that frame alone. Remarkably, Miami recorded minus-20 yards of total offense during the third quarter.
The lead grew to 28-3 in the fourth quarter. Tight end Jonnu Smith added a 14-yard rushing touchdown to effectively seal the win. Miami managed two late touchdowns in garbage time. Tagovailoa found Darren Waller for both scores, but failed two-point conversions kept the game out of reach. Tagovailoa finished with 254 passing yards and his league-leading 15th interception.
Aaron Rodgers finished his efficient night with 224 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 23 of 27 passes without a turnover. This performance helped Rodgers move past Peyton Manning for third-most multi-touchdown games in NFL history. Pittsburgh now holds an 8-6 record heading into the final stretch. The franchise has not lost a home game on Monday night since 1991. Coach Mike Tomlin also improved his perfect home record on the Monday night stage to 12-0.
