Dolphins-Steelers on ‘Monday Night Football’: What We Learned from Pittsburgh’s 28-15 win

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1. Steelers find a groove. Pittsburgh built on a gritty Week 14 win over rival Baltimore by dominating a frigid contest against the Dolphins in a fashion that fit its identity but had been far from frequent for much of 2025. The Steelers handled the details better than their opponent, completely shut down Miami’s offense and eventually broke through offensively by committing to an aggressive approach that included multiple fourth-down conversions and a willingness to let Aaron Rodgers cook. Rodgers followed up arguably his best showing as a Steeler with another highly effective performance, completing 23 of 27 passes for two touchdown passes and blowing open a game that appeared to be destined for a close finish and instead proved to be a runaway win. This doesn’t mean the Steelers have solved their problems — look to Miami’s Week 7 surrender to the lowly Browns for proof that the Dolphins aren’t a proper measuring stick — but it’s encouraging to see them piece together two strong performances.
2. Dolphins continue to struggle in the cold. Entering Monday night, Miami had lost 13 straight games that kicked off with a temperature below 40 degrees. The Dolphins took the field with a clear intent to set a physical tone in Pittsburgh, but that was the best they could produce all night. Their execution was just a hair off or half a second behind, their hard-hitting style ended up being their downfall (see: 12 missed tackles through the first 45 minutes) and their offense produced little of anything, especially once the Steelers took the lead. By the end of the third quarter, the game looked eerily similar to their no-show performance in a wild-card loss to the Chiefs in a frigid Kansas City in January 2024. Frankly, this was much worse: Pittsburgh outgained Miami 163 to negative-20 — yes, negative-20 — in the third quarter, earning nine first downs to Miami’s zero. The Steelers nearly doubled up the Dolphins in time of possession entering the fourth quarter, informing the viewing audience that it could accept this game was indeed over with a quarter to play. Months can pass, faces can change, but these Dolphins — and especially their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa — still can’t overcome the elements.
3. Gainwell deserves some love. Whether it’s in the running or passing game, no Steeler has been more consistent through the second half of the season than Kenneth Gainwell, so it was only right that he was afforded the opportunity to show off his talents on the national stage Monday night. Gainwell was the driving force that powered the Steelers through their initial brick wall toward the cruising speed they maintained for the rest of the night, leading the Steelers in receiving with six catches for 41 yards in the first half and accounting for 69 of their 163 third-quarter yards. Sure, his teammates savored the glory of finding the end zone, but Pittsburgh might never find the rhythm it later enjoyed if not for Gainwell leading the charge — and it certainly wasn’t the first example of him doing so in 2025. Those seeking a versatile back might want to take a look at him on the open market in 2026 — if he makes it there.
4. Miami’s winning streak fizzles out in predictable fashion. The Dolphins were authoring one of the more pleasantly surprising late-season finishes, entering Week 15 on a four-game winning streak and still clinging to dwindling playoff hopes. We were reminded of why they were in this position Monday night. Miami’s recent successes could be largely credited to running back De’Von Achane‘s hot stretch that included three 120-plus-yard rushing performances in the last four contests and a defense that seemed to effectively reset following Halloween, limiting opponents to less than 20 points in each of its last four outings. Neither delivered Monday night, shifting responsibility back to the shoulders of Tagovailoa, a quarterback whose future was already uncertain by the midpoint of 2025. In the simplest of terms, Tagovailoa flopped in the spotlight, throwing for a paltry 65 yards through the first three quarters and proving to be ineffective, if not completely lost. He ended a promising early drive by throwing a horrid interception, then failed to lead the Dolphins out of the hole they’d dug for themselves over the second and third quarters, finding a semblance of rhythm only after Miami was trailing by 25 points in the fourth quarter. It was just the latest example of why Tagovailoa’s outlook is murky approaching 2026 and might be one of the final pieces of evidence in the case against retaining him for the long term.
5. Rodgers happy to have some veterans along for the ride. It’s been known for some time that Rodgers prefers familiar faces in his receiving corps (remember how much he disliked throwing to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs at the end of his Packers tenure?), so it was no surprise to see him break out a wide grin after he connected with his old pal, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, for a 19-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. Adam Thielen is also in the mix now, and while Thielen only finished with one catch for 7 yards — and Thielen and Valdes-Scantling combined for just two catches — their presence seems to have eased Rodgers’ generally testy nature. Completing 85% of his passes in a runaway win helps, too, but it will be interesting to see if the roles of Valdes-Scantling and/or Thielen increase in importance over the final three weeks. If the last two games — two contests in which Rodgers has looked his best — are any indicator, their arrivals might have happened at the perfect time.

Next Gen Stats insight from Dolphins-Steelers (via NFL Pro): Aaron Rodgers finished 17 of 18 for 173 yards and both of his touchdowns on throws between the numbers, recording a 94.4% completion percentage, his highest in a game since Week 14, 2016. 

NFL Research: Monday night’s contest featured the first instance in NFL history in which two tight ends (Connor Heyward and Jonnu Smith) rushed for a touchdown in the same game.