Steelers game recap in 27-14 win over Miami Dolphins

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. Here is a recap of the game.

Prior to the game, I talked about how the Steelers were really in a ‘lose/lose’ situation in this game. 98 percent of experts predicted them to beat the Miami Dolphins and they were 14 point favorites heading into the game. Anything less than a blowout by Pittsburgh would be underwhelming.

Unfortunately, things did not go as the Steelers planned. To the surprise of many, the Dolphins got off to a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Quarterback, Mason Rudolph, had a very rocky start to the game that included an interception that set up the Dolphins in scoring territory.

Eventually, Pittsburgh was able to shift the tides in this contest. After 14 unanswered points, the Steelers offense was able to get things going – scoring 27 straight points to close out the game.

Wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson pitched in breakout performances that included 187 combined receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back James Conner also had his best game of the season. He rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown on 6.3 yards per carry.

Defensively, T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick continued to impress. Minkah gathered two interceptions, and Watt continues to be one of the most dominant forces off the edge in the NFL.

It wasn’t always pretty, but Pittsburgh certainly got the job done. It was nice to see Mason Rudolph rally back after a very poor first-quarter performance. Though his accuracy was spotty throughout the game, he has shown that he is not afraid to stand in the pocket and throw the ball down the field.

Now at 3-4, the Steelers are looking like a different team than the one who started the season 0-3. Pittsburgh surpassed the Cleveland Browns for second place in the division after week 8.

Though it’s still too early to talk about playoffs, it’s very encouraging to see the Steelers catch some momentum – especially on the offensive side of the ball. Let’s hope they carry this into next week as they face the 5-2 Indianapolis Colts.