Second-half surge fuels Steelers to win over Dolphins on "Monday Night Football"
The Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins 28-15 in a Monday night showdown at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh scored three touchdowns in the second half to pull away from the Dolphins, who were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss despite coming into the game having won four in a row. For the Steelers, the win keeps them in first place in the AFC North Division, one game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens.
Pittsburgh blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Dolphins 14-0 to take a commanding 21-3 lead after 45 minutes of play.
Pittsburgh, which has won 23 consecutive home games on "Monday Night Football," struck quickly after halftime, taking a 14-3 lead on a 19-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Marquez Valdes-Scantling with 11:20 left in the third quarter. On Pittsburgh's next drive, Rodgers found DK Metcalf for a 28-yard TD with 4:58 left to take a 21-3 advantage.
The Dolphins had minus-20 yards in the third quarter and continued to sputter on offense after a slow first two quarters. The Steelers led Miami 7-3 at halftime after a first half that featured five punts and the two teams combining to go 2 for 11 on third-down conversions.
Pittsburgh's Connor Heyward scored the only touchdown of the first 30 minutes, crossing the goal line from 1 yard out with 17 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The Dolphins' first-half points came on a 54-yard field goal from Riley Patterson with 5:11 left in the second quarter.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is now 0-6 in his career in games when it is 40 degrees or below at kickoff. It was 17 degrees when the game kicked off at 8:15 p.m., with the wind chill reading 11 degrees.
Tagovailoa threw two touchdown passes to Darren Waller in the fourth quarter after Pittsburgh jumped ahead 28-3. Miami failed its two-point conversions after both touchdowns.
The Steelers (8-6) play at the Detroit Lions on Dec. 21.
The Dolphins (6-8) host the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 21.