Instant analysis from Dolphins’ win vs. Steelers on SNF
The Miami Dolphins entered their Week 7 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night having lost their last three, but they were able to secure a 16-10 victory.
Josh Boyer’s defense deserves a ton of credit for the win, as they were without a number of key pieces including Byron Jones, Nik Needham, Emmanuel Ogbah, Kader Kohou and Keion Crossen. And, despite losing Brandon Jones to a knee injury in the third quarter, they were still able to hold Pittsburgh to just 10 points which all came in the second quarter.
Part of their success was three interceptions recorded by Justin Bethel, Jevon Holland and Noah Igbinoghene, the last, of which, ended the game for the Dolphins while the Steelers were driving with less than a minute left and a chance to take the lead.
Miami’s defense allowed rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett to complete nearly 73% of his passes, but they kept most of the plays in front of them and capitalized when they needed to. On top of that, they held running back Najee Harris to 3.8 yards per attempt which is always an impressive feat despite the back having a down year.
Offensively, the Dolphins, led by a returning Tua Tagovailoa, looked to be off to a hot start after they drove down the field in nine plays for a touchdown on their first possession. However, for the remainder of the game, the unit appeared out of sync at times, as four of Tagovailoa’s incompletions probably should’ve been intercepted which would’ve made this result much different.
Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill continue to be Miami’s top weapons, combing for 11 receptions on 18 targets for 160 yards while running back Raheem Mostert, once again, separated himself as the true top runner in the room, carrying the ball 16 times for 79 yards.
And, in the third phase of the game, punter Thomas Morstead and his coverage team played a huge role in the victory as well. The veteran punted six times for 42.7 yards per attempt, and four of them were downed inside the 20-yard line. This forced Pittsburgh to try and create long, sustained drives, and they just couldn’t do it consistently.
