Bold predictions for Steelers vs Dolphins on Sunday Night Football

The Steelers are looking for their third win of the season, and here are four bold predictions for their Sunday night game against the Dolphins.

The Steelers are still riding high after their surprise win over Tampa Bay last week, but they have yet another daunting task ahead of them, as the Dolphins have been a surprisingly talented team. With Tua Tagovailoa set to return, Pittsburgh once again finds themselves as underdogs against a superior team on paper.

This isn’t the same Dolphins team that was dominating earlier in the season though. Tagovailoa getting injured slowed down this potent offense and even with him back, no one is sure how he will play. On the Steelers side of things, there were some positives to come out of the win last week, but there are still some major questions about the team that are still relevant.

Here are four bold predictions for this Sunday night game.

The Steelers defense reverts back to old form

One of the biggest surprises from the game last week was just how well the defense played. Despite missing most of its secondary and not having T.J. Watt, this team did a good job of limiting the Buccaneers. The secondary is far healthier this week, so on paper, this defense should play better than they did last week.

I don’t think it happens though, and I think the defense as a whole reverts back to form (that being a mediocre unit). I think this team fails to stop the pass, and while they do get pressure on Tagovailoa, it isn’t enough. The defense surprised a lot of people last week, myself included, but I don’t think they keep it up against the Dolphins.

Najee Harris finally looks good

Predicting that your first-round running back actually looking good in a game kind of sucks, but here we are. There has been no player that has disappointed more this season than Najee Harris. The offense was seemingly built to move through him, but he has been inefficient so far this season.

The Dolphins are a team that Harris should excel against, and I think he does. With so many issues at quarterback right now, I think the game plan is to come out and run the ball hard. Harris gains over 100 yards on the ground and scores for the second straight week. His efficiency numbers still aren’t there, but he finally puts together a solid statistical performance.

Pickett is the opposite

On the flip side of things, Kenny Pickett has become a darling to many fans. That said, he wasn’t playing all that well last week before he was injured. His passing strategy was limited, and he wasn’t moving the offense all that well. As of this writing, it seems like Pickett is going to play, but it is important to note that he will be coming off a concussion in this game.

I think he falls flat this week. A pair of interceptions, no scores, and some more meager passing totals result in a sluggish offense. The team turning to Harris helps alleviate some of those issues, but it still is a bad performance from the Steelers top pick.

The Steelers get stunned

The Steelers surprise win last week has gotten some people talking. While no one is labeling them as some sort of front-runner, some are wondering if Pittsburgh is back. While the win was a nice one, the issues this team had still aren’t fixed. The offense has a bland and predictable game plan while the defense is limited right now.

As a result, I think this team gets beaten pretty easily this week. While it isn’t as bad as the Buffalo blowout was, I think a multiple-score difference is likely. The Dolphins through the air and the Steelers try to play catch-up on the ground. All in all, this game repositions the Steelers back at the bottom of the NFL.

The Steelers are set to play their first primetime game this week, and a back-to-back win would be huge for this franchise moving forward. The Dolphins are no easy opponent though, so expect another tough game for this unit. Keep these bold predictions in mind as the Steelers take on the Dolphins this week.