Aaron Rodgers helps lead Steelers past Dolphins

PITTSBURGH–Fifteen days after criticism of “Renegade”, defensive anthem steelers The faithful, quivering crowd of over 65,000 at the Acropolis Stadium cheered loudly and waved their Terrible towels as its opening notes filled the air in the third quarter.

This time, the Steelers were firmly on their way to their 23rd consecutive “Monday Night Football” home win after quarterback. aaron rodgers fed a ball to a wide receiver DK Metcalf In tight coverage. Metcalf moved again miami dolphins Putting his efforts through defenders and into the end zone, Pittsburgh led 21–3.

The Steelers dominated the Dolphins almost wire-to-wire as the short-handed defense slowed the explosive Miami run game and Rodgers led their offense on four consecutive touchdown drives. The signal-caller completed 85% of his passes (23 of 27), his highest rate in a game since Week 7 of 2014 (86%). Rodgers also continued his streak of 13 consecutive completions midway through the game. It was the kind of utterly dominant win that the 2025 Steelers had not had up to this point – and with this win, Pittsburgh finally had two wins in a row for the first time in more than a month.

The win bolstered the Steelers’ bid to claim the AFC North, and it carries their momentum entering Sunday’s game against a tough and frustrated opponent. detroit lions Team.

Here’s what to know from the Steelers and Dolphins after “Monday Night Football”:

turn: RB kenneth gainwell38-yard run in the third quarter. It wasn’t a scoring play, but Gainwell’s long run allowed him to bounce off the crowded line of scrimmage toward the sideline and change the pace. Before Gainwell’s run, the Steelers’ run game was averaging just 1.8 yards per carry. But Pittsburgh committed to running the ball with three carries on the opening possession of the third quarter. jaylen warren Before the gainwell breaks. Two plays later, Rodgers scored a touchdown Marquez Valdes-Scantling to give the Steelers a 14–3 lead.

Most Amazing Performance: Run defense. No play better reflects the Steelers’ effective run defense than ILB patrick queen Shooting the gap to swallow RB Ollie Gordon on third down and first down in the second quarter. Queen’s tackle cost the Dolphins 4 yards and held them to a field goal. Not only were the Steelers missing tj watt (Lungs), they entered the first round without any rookies derrick harmon (Knee) for the third consecutive week. Without Harmon in the lineup, Pittsburgh gave up almost over 100 rushing yards per game. And yet, the run defense persisted D’Von Achen Up to 60 yards. The Steelers were particularly strong in the third quarter, holding the Dolphins to minus-1 rushing yards.

Statistics to know: The Steelers recorded four straight drives with TDs, their longest streak in the last 25 years. This is the first time the Steelers have done this since Week 2 of 2018 kansas city chiefs – A fitting call with QB Ben Roethlisberger at Acropolis Stadium on Monday after being inducted into the Hall of Honor. –Brooke Pryor

Next game: at Detroit Lions (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)

miami dolphins

On the Dolphins’ second offensive drive, QB tua tagovailoa Faked handoff to RB D’Von AchenIgnored the Steelers defense and ran into the WR. jaylen waddle for a 10-yard gain that put Miami on the positive side of the 50-yard line.

On the next play, Tagovailoa threw a shocking interception, giving him sole possession of the league lead. His night didn’t get much better from there.

The Dolphins’ four-game winning streak came to an abrupt end Monday night – and with it, their faint playoff hopes. In cold weather conditions, in which they are known to scrimmage, the Dolphins did exactly that – surprisingly a 20-yard loss in the third quarter sealed their eighth loss of the season.

The remaining three weeks of the 2025 season will be about evaluation and glory; It’s still possible for Miami to get back to .500 with a three-game winning streak.

But hopes for a miraculous postseason performance are gone.

What is meant by QB performance: Tagovailoa cracked 200 passing yards for the first time since Week 9, but outside of some garbage time the production failed to find a soft spot in the Steelers defense. Monday’s game will do them no favors in their case against cold weather charges, as they have yet to win a game in which the temperature drops below 40 degrees. In today’s NFL, his inability to overpower the defense with his legs also imposes obvious limitations on the Dolphins’ offense – such as when he slipped short of the stick on third down, in a play where lowering his shoulder would likely have converted a first down. This has been the worst statistical stretch of Tagovailoa’s career, and with a new general manager possibly taking over this offseason, he needs to put up better tape over the next three weeks to avoid possibly losing his job in 2026.

Viewing Trends: Unless the Dolphins win in cold weather, this will remain a topic of discussion. The Dolphins have lost all eight games under coach Mike McDaniel in which temperatures dropped below 40 degrees. This season’s team seemed poised to break the drought, given that Miami led the league in rushing during a four-game winning streak, but the Dolphins may have to wait until their Week 18 game against the Patriots to pick up their first cold-season win.

turn: Shortly after setting a career high with a 54-yard field goal, Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson The ensuing kickoff was penalized for being left short. Pittsburgh took advantage of the short field with a 12-play, 60-yard scoring drive, giving them the lead for good with 17 seconds remaining in the first half. McDaniel was clearly disappointed with the penalty, mentioning in his halftime interview that the Dolphins could not afford to give their opponent such a short field of play. That drive started four consecutive scoring drives for the Steelers – who put the game away long before the final whistle. -Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: versus cincinnati bengals (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)