Week 15 MNF Preview: Dolphins Visit Steelers With Teams Headed in Opposite Directions
The 6-7 Miami Dolphins head to Acrisure Stadium to take on the 7-6 Pittsburgh Steelers to wrap up Week 15 on Monday Night Football.
While their records would suggest Miami and Pittsburgh are headed in similar directions, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
After a 2-7 start had many calling for Mike McDaniel’s job, the Dolphins decided to keep their head coach, opting to fire general manager Chris Grier instead. Team owner Stephen Ross said McDaniel’s job was safe for the rest of the season, but further security would hinge on if the locker room continued to play for him.
The team has done just that, and the Dolphins have become scorching hot. A huge 30-13 upset win over the Bills in Week 10 has propelled them to a four-game win streak.
Although Miami is usually known for their speedy, explosive offense, the defense has surprisingly carried the team during the win streak. The unit has allowed a league-best 13.3 points per game over the four-game stretch, marking the first time in 15 seasons Miami has held opponents under 17 points in four consecutive games.
Speaking of the Dolphins’ offense, it’s averaging 25.25 points per game over the win streak, but it could potentially suffer a big blow for Monday’s matchup.
De’Von Achane has put up 1,126 rushing yards, 383 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns so far this season. As the numbers suggest, the offense revolves around him.
However, Achane suffered a rib injury that forced him out of last week’s matchup against the Jets in the second quarter, and he’s questionable to face the Steelers.
Despite their impressive turnaround, Miami sits in third place in the AFC East and has less than a 1% chance to reach the playoffs, regardless if they win or lose Monday night.
On the other hand, the Steelers sit atop the AFC North and currently have a 66% chance to make the playoffs. Pittsburgh’s chances jump to 72% with a win over Miami, versus 54% with a loss.
Also unlike the Dolphins, the Steelers got off to a great start to the season. They sat at 4-1 after Week 6 and held a 3 ½ -game division lead over the Ravens.
However, the Steelers proceeded to go 2-5 over their next seven games, squandering their division lead and allowing Baltimore to climb back atop the division.
Things got so bad in Pittsburgh that after leading the Bills 7-3 at halftime in Week 13, they got outscored 23-0 in the second half as “Fire [Mike] Tomlin” chants serenaded the team, and their battle cry “Renegade” was booed.
After a long week of media members, analysts and former Steelers players debating if the Steelers should listen to the fans chants to fire their head coach, Tomlin and the team bounced back in a huge way last week. Pittsburgh handed the Ravens a 27-22 loss in Baltimore to reclaim the division lead.
In the win, the offense was propelled by two of its newest members. Aaron Rodgers threw for 284 yards, setting a new high since joining Pittsburgh. DK Metcalf had his best game as a Steeler by far, recording seven receptions on 12 targets for 148 yards. All were highs since joining the Steelers.
Like Achane, Metcalf is questionable for Monday’s contest due to a stomach injury that required him to visit a Baltimore-area hospital after the game. However, Tomlin said Tuesday that he doesn’t expect Metcalf’s availability to play to be in jeopardy.
While the Steelers look to move closer to a playoff berth and the Dolphins aim to stay hot, one team has a clear advantage this week.
In his career, Tua Tagovailoa is 1-7 in games when the temperature at kickoff is 46 degrees or lower, with his lone win coming last week against the Jets when it was 41 degrees.
So, what's the temperature for Monday night?
It’ll be 19 degrees with a real feel of 11 degrees.
With both the weather and the potential absence of Achane stacked against the Dolphins this week, expect the Steelers to cover the -3 spread with ease.