The hapless Miami Dolphins(0-6), make their way to Pittsburgh to face off with the Steelers(2-4) on Monday Night Football this week. While the Dolphins organization seems to be fully on board with the tank, the Steelers are on the wrong side of their 2-4 record and hope not to lose any more ground in the AFC north.
The Steelers have won 2 of their last 3 contests, but the one they dropped was against the division foe, Baltimore Ravens, who lead the NFC North with a 5-2 record. The Dolphins, who seem to be in more of a battle for the number one draft pick rather than in an on-field battle, will look to win their first game of the season. Currently, the Steelers are favored by (-14.5) and the O/U is at 44.
Rudolph’s Return
After an early-season injury to Steelers franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph has taken the reins of the offense. After suffering a vicious hit in the 3rd quarter against the Ravens, Earl Thomas, a few weeks ago, Rudolph was knocked lifeless for several minutes on the field. It was a scary scene.
Rudolph has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol ever since.
Rudolph will return to the field Monday night against the Dolphins, in a game against a defense that could get him back on track. Rudolph watched from the sidelines as 3rd string quarterback, Devlin Hodges, as well as, Devin Bush, on the other side of the ball, led the Steelers to a 24-17 victory over the Chargers.
Bush had an INT, as well as, a backward pass recovered for a TD.
Although the Steelers have only secured 2 victories this season, they lost to Baltimore, San Francisco, and Seattle by a combined 9 points. All winnable football games. Their other loss came at the hands of the cream of the AFC crop, New England Patriots, and it was ugly. The Steelers only mustered a field goal, while the Pats put up 33.
Tanking for Tua
It’s very difficult to say that an NFL franchise is losing on purpose. In this game, it takes too many people to
be on board with getting embarrassed. However, the front office has traded away almost every shred of talent and with it, almost any chance of winning. Head coach, Brian Flores, has been guaranteed 2020, and isn’t to blame for the product we’ve seen on the offensive side of the ball.
The Dolphins overall record doesn’t actually reflect the improvements that Flores has made to the defensive side of the ball. The Dolphins rank 3rd in both scoring defense, and sacks. They can pressure the quarterback and turn you over. I’m sure some of their defensive stats are inflated due to the sheer amount of time they’re on the field.
The Dolphins have suffered some of the worst losses in recent memory this season, including a 59-10 loss to the Ravens, and a 43-0 shutout against the Pats. They lost by 1 against a very poor Washington team in a battle for an early round draft pick.
Will They or Won’t They
That is the question. Will the Steelers be able to cover 14.5 on Monday night? A double digit spread on Monday night? I almost always bet the under dog, however, if the Dolphins were given 14.5 in every game this season, they would’ve only covered twice. The loss by 1 to the Redskins, and last week, a loss by 10 to the division rival, Buffalo Bills.
The Steelers have won 17 straight home games on Monday Night Football. That number should improve this Monday night. Look for Miami to suffer another devastating loss on Monday, and possibly another blowout. Take the points if you dare, but my pick here is the Steelers will cover the massive (-14.5).
