The Miami Dolphins fell to 6-8 with their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. The 28-15 defeat snapped Miami’s four-game winning streak and officially eliminated the team from playoff contention.
After scoring just three points through a sluggish three quarters, the Dolphins suddenly opened up the passing game. Miami scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. But the team’s clock management left Troy Aikman confused.
“I'm flabbergasted by what we've witnessed here in this fourth quarter with the Dolphins. And now they want to call timeouts. It just is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I've seen in a long time,” Aikman said, per Awful Announcing.
Dolphins fall short in Pittsburgh on MNF
The Dolphins trailed 28-9 when they got the ball back midway through the fourth quarter. The team put together a nine-pay, 86-yard touchdown drive. But there wasn’t a sense of urgency from Miami’s offense.
The Dolphins used up nearly five minutes of game clock on the scoring drive that got the team within 13 points. After the lengthy series, Miami attempted an onside kick with 2:32 left in regulation. When Pittsburgh recovered, Mike McDaniel finally recognized the need to conserve the clock and used his three remaining time outs.
The inconsistency annoyed Aikman. “This is just a bizarre last few series. They don't go hurry-up. Now they're going hurry-up and calling timeouts. It's just, it's hard to understand exactly what the philosophy or what they're trying to do,” he added.
McDaniel’s seat was red-hot following the Dolphins’ 2-7 start this season. But Miami turned things around, winning four straight games and staying alive in the playoff race. However, the team could not overcome a sharp Aaron Rodgers on a cold Pittsburgh night.
The Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention with the Monday night loss. It’s the second straight year Miami missed out on the postseason.
