In a pivotal Monday Night Football matchup in Week 15, the Pittsburgh Steelers took control over the Miami Dolphins and never looked back. After a slow start offensively, Mike Tomlin's team effortlessly collected 21 points in the second half to cruise to victory.
This may have spoken more to the state of the Dolphins' defense than the dominating performance by Pittsburgh's offense in the 28-15 win.
Miami struggled to slow down Pittsburgh on the ground on through the air. Not only did they allow Aaron Rodgers to complete 23 of 27 passes for 8.3 yards per attempt, but they also allowed the Steelers' rushing attack to chew up 135 yards on the ground.
The icing on the cake was the two rushing touchdowns by Steelers tight ends Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward. This marked the first time in NFL history that two tight ends scored rushing touchdowns in the same game.
The media caught up with Smith after the Week 15 win to ask him about his score, and the Steelers' tight end gave his teammates all the credit.
"It was all credit due to those guys up front, making that a lot easier," Smith said after the game. "You go back and watch the film, man, you could have drove a truck through that thing."
"Again, stepping up when your number is called and being able to extend that lead and get the guys going a bit more to finish that thing out. And we did just that."
The Pittsburgh Steelers took advantage of a weak Miami Dolphins defense
Smith was being a bit modest with his remarks, though the toss play was blocked exceptionally well for the veteran tight end. But the fact that Smith was able to score a rushing touchdown from 14 yards out without getting touched says more about the Dolphins' defense than a dominant Steelers offense.
The Dolphins have allowed over 100 yards rushing to their opponents in 10 games so far this season. This included letting the Carolina Panthers walk all over them for a 239-yard performance on the ground back in Week 5.
After Week 15, Miami ranks 27th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (132.1). Surprisingly, the Steelers' total defense is still ranked worse than the Dolphins', surrendering 363.3 yards per game.
Pittsburgh's Monday Night Football victory was a step in the right direction for Jonnu Smith and the offense. Let's hope this wasn't simply the result of taking advantage of a suspect Dolphins defense.