Sunday January 8th
Wildcard Weekend
(6) Miami Dolphins (10-6) vs. (3) Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
1:05 P.M. ET
Steelers v Dolphins Sunday. It's gonna be Cold! #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/C4tSi28pdd
— Scott Harbaugh (@WPXIScott) January 6, 2017
There is no nice way to break this down. The Miami Dolphins are in for a long afternoon on Sunday. There are many factors that are stacked against the Dolphins and their chances in this game appear to be dim.
First off, starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill went down against the Arizona Cardinals in week 14. The team originally feared he tore his ACL, but received good news when is wound up being an ACL and MCL sprain. The bad news is he still isn’t healthy enough to play, and backup quarterback Matt Moore will get the nod against the Steelers. Moore did go 2-1 down the stretch, but his victories were against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, not exactly powerhouse squads.
Miami also has an uphill battle to climb on defense. The Steelers have three of the top playmakers in football with Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger. The Dolphins rank 30th in the league in terms of rushing yards allowed per game, and the Steelers have no issues turning to Bell to exploit that weakness in the Dolphins defense. Try to stack the box against Bell and Big Ben and Antonio Brown will make you pay dearly in the passing game, as that connection is one of the best in the league.
The Dolphins do have a few tricks in their corner though. The mid-season emergence of Jay Ajayi has been a major factor in the Dolphins going on a run to secure a wildcard berth. If Ajayi can control the pace of the game and keep the Pittsburgh offense off the field for as long as possible, the Dolphins may have a shot.
This is the 27th time these two teams will oppose each other, and they are deadlocked with 13 wins a piece. They did meet earlier in the season and the Dolphins controlled the game from start to finish. The game was more lopsided than the 30-15 final may suggest, as Ben Roethlisberger injured his knee in the game and Jay Ajayi rushed for 204 yards and a pair of scores.
Ajayi has broken the 200 yard mark three times this season, and another dominating performance against the Steelers could send Pittsburgh on vacation. Ajayi is the fourth player in NFL history to accomplish such a feat joining Earl Campbell (who had 4 in 1980), OJ Simpson (1973) and Tiki Barber (2005) as the only players to do so. That’s pretty good company to be associated with.
Prediction: Dolphins 17 Steelers 31– The Steelers just have too many weapons for the Dolphins to contain. The Steelers have said they have a sour taste in their mouth from the loss during the regular season, and should break out all the stops to get the victory this week. Matt Moore just doesn’t have the ability to keep up with Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben > Matt Moore, Antonio Brown > Jarvis Landry, Le’Veon Bell > Jay Ajayi = Steelers > Dolphins.
Next Page: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers
