Steelers ice Dolphins, stay atop AFC North with win

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins 28-15 on Monday night to stay on top of the AFC North.

Pittsburgh (8-6) won its second straight game – and 23rd straight at home during Monday night’s NFL showcase – by outscoring Miami (6-8) over the final 35 minutes.

Connor Heyward completed a long drive to end the first half by nudging the goal line with a drive to give the Steelers the lead. Rodgers added third-quarter touchdown passes of 19 yards to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and 28 yards to DK Metcalf — which pushed former Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick out of the way on his way to the end zone.

Rodgers completed 23 of 27 passes at chilly Acrisure Stadium. The 42-year-old looked right at home with the lights on and the temperature in the teens on a night that felt like a callback to his glory days in Green Bay.

Even though those days are long gone, Rodgers will be playing some meaningful football in December, which is exactly what he wanted when he decided in June to return for his 21st season. The NFL’s second-oldest player (thanks to Philip Rivers’ unexpected return to Indianapolis) got plenty of help from running back Kenneth Gainwell, who finished with 126 total yards.

Miami saw their slim playoff hopes disappear when their four-game winning streak snapped. The Dolphins prepared by practicing in the snow at nearby Robert Morris University on Sunday, but that didn’t help.

While Miami took a 3-0 lead during a slow first half thanks to Riley Patterson’s career-long 54-yard field goal, Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense had no answer after Rodgers heated up.

Tagovailoa completed 22 of 28 passes for 254 yards with two garbage time touchdowns to Darren Waller and an NFL-leading 15th interception. Da’Von Achane, who powered Miami’s recovery from a 1-6 start, rushed for 60 yards and caught six passes for another 68 but was not a factor during the middle portion of the game, as the Steelers scored touchdowns on four straight possessions to remain undefeated at home on a Monday night since 1992.

Pittsburgh won for the second time in 13 tries without outside linebacker TJ Watt during his nine-year All-Pro career. Watt is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a lung damaged by dry needling treatment last week.

For one night, Watt’s absence wasn’t a problem, after all. The Steelers sacked Tagovailoa four times, and Asante Samuel Jr. pick it up to end a promising Miami drive in the first quarter.

Tagovailoa remained winless in a game where the temperature at kickoff was below 40 degrees. Miami had minus-20 yards of total offense in the third quarter.

The Dolphins’ recent improvement in play cemented – temporarily – the status of coach Mike McDaniel. With the playoffs out of reach, Miami will turn its attention to the future, one that may not involve a bespectacled 42-year-old whose unique approach may be wearing thin.

Injury

Dolphins: RB Ollie Gordon II left in the second quarter with a left ankle injury.

Steelers: LG Isaac Seumalo left in the third quarter with a tricep injury and did not return. … Pittsburgh rookie DT Derrick Harmon missed his third straight game with a knee injury.

Next

Dolphins: Host Cincinnati on Sunday.

Steelers: At Detroit on Sunday.

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