An AFC showdown is set to take place on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers will do war with the Miami Dolphins under the lights on the gridiron in a vital matchup between both sides. Join us for our NFL odds series where our Steelers-Dolphins prediction and pick will be unveiled for all to see.
While it seemed that the hometown rookie Kenny Pickett would be taking over the rest of the campaign, the former Pitt standout was sent into concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head and never returned. Now, after Trubisky's heroics by doing the unthinkable and besting Tom Brady, head coach Mike Tomlin will give the rookie Pickett another shot to prove himself fresh off of the injury on Sunday Night Football.
It seems like an eternity ago that the Dolphins started off the year at 3-0. Since then, their world has been turned upside down with three straight losses, and now face a must-win matchup against the Steelers to keep their playoff aspirations alive. The good news? Starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return to under center after his injury scare a few weeks ago and should provide Miami's offense with some explosiveness in the passing game.
Here are the Steelers-Dolphins NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Steelers-Dolphins Odds
Pittsburgh Steelers: +7.5 (-115)
Miami Dolphins: -7.5 (-105)
Over: 44.5 (-110)
Under: 44.5 (-110)
Why The Steelers Could Cover The Spread
After a dismal and disappointing 1-4 start to the regular season, Pittsburgh dug deep and snapped a four-game losing streak versus a heavy-favorite Tampa Bay team with QB Mitchell Trubisky coming off the bench and delivering in the clutch. The starter heading into the season, Trubisky fell out of favor with the franchise-hopeful quarterback in Kenny Pickett as the Steelers haven't looked back since. Despite Trubisky's epic comeback, the Steelers will indeed give the football back to Pickett after he was cleared of concussion protocol this week and was a full participant in practice as well.
Without a doubt, Pickett will be the source of the Steelers' magic on Sunday night, as the return of Tua for the Dolphins will more than likely mean that Pittsburgh will have to put up points on the scoreboard. As a whole, the Steelers offense has been stagnant to say the least, as they have averaged only 16.2 points per game and are finding a hard time creating running lanes for second-year running back Najee Harris. Although Harris has made the most of his opportunities, the former Alabama halfback is averaging a pedestrian 3.2 yards per carry and has only found paydirt one time this season. In order to relieve some pressure off of Pickett and attack the Dolphins with a balanced, schematically sound game plan, getting Harris involved early will be a must.
Why The Dolphins Could Cover The Spread
When QB Tua Tagovailoa first slammed his head on the turf with the entire football nation watching in a pivotal Thursday night matchup against Cincinnati, the concerns for the Dolphins quarterback were larger than returning to the football field. After being stretchered out and taken to a nearby hospital for tests, the worst-case scenario was avoided when Tua was diagnosed with head and neck injuries and would be sidelined for only a few weeks. Fortunately, nothing worse came from it as the often injury-plagued Tagovailoa should provide a huge boost for a Dolphins squad that enters play licking their wounds.
With a chance to snap a lengthy losing skid and cover the spread at the same time, expect Miami to try and exploit Pittsburgh's secondary to the best of their abilities. Conversely, the Fins' speedy wideouts in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have both recorded three 100-yard games thus far and it should be a focus from Miami to especially look their way in the red zone. Not to mention, Pittsburgh has already allowed four 100-yard outings to opposing receivers this season.
Lastly, look out for RB Raheem Mostert to further distance himself from the rest of the running backs room in Miami with another solid performance. Although the 30-year-old halfback is slightly banged up, he is only two weeks removed from going berserk by rushing for an electric 113 yards on the ground.
Final Steelers-Dolphins Prediction & Pick
Of course, this matchup between the two teams will mark the return of Steelers senior defensive assistant Brian Flores, who served as the Dolphins' head coach from 2019-2021 before ending on bad terms with the organization after filing a lawsuit against them. While emotions will certainly be high on both sides, this one comes down to Miami edging out Pittsburgh in the talent department. The Steelers just don't have the personnel to match up with the Dolphins and they are also extremely thin at certain positions thanks to the injury bug. Take Miami and the points.
Final Steelers-Dolphins Prediction & Pick: Dolphins -7.5 (-105)
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