The suddenly competitive Miami Dolphins received encouraging injury news for De'Von Achane. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers got the same thing for D.K. Metcalf. And here are our bold predictions for the Dolphins and Steelers’ Monday Night Football battle in Week 15.
The Dolphins have won four in a row and five of six to improve their record to 6-7. On the other side, the Steelers are 7-6 after a tough 27-22 victory over the Ravens.
Both teams still have playoff hopes alive, so this should be quite a battle under the national spotlight.
Dolphins RB De’Von Achane will terrorize the Steelers
Pittsburgh gave up 249 rushing yards to the Bills. Then they got lit up for 217 yards against the Ravens. And now they face a team that just hit the Jets with 239 yards while almost having two 100-yard rushers.
This has disaster written all over it for the Dolphins. A clean MRI means Achane will be ready to rock, and the Steelers will have little chance to stop him. Here are Achane’s yards per carry over the last four weeks as the Dolphins have been on a heater: 7.9, 5.7, 6.1, and 13.1. Yes, all of those came against ugly-bad run defenses. But, hey, that’s what the Steelers have become.
Achane has become almost everything for the Dolphins’ offense this season, according to wtop.com.
“You’re not seeing a player just with skill,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “What you learn about him over time is that he’s trying to be great. So I think the work ethic tied to the skill set, it’s exciting because he’s very confident. But some of the stuff he’s capable of doing, he hasn’t got to see himself do it yet, I think, in an NFL game.
“What I noticed from his college days was that he was never taking hits on directly,” McDaniel said, “which, when players do that, it means the game is really slow for them. It means that he can see a lot, so there’s some natural football talent. That’s a skill. Not just being fast or having good hands, but that’s a skill of avoiding direct tackles that is very impactful when your job is to move the ball forward.”
Achane says hard work matters.
“It means a lot,” Achane said. “It just shows the hard work that I put in, that me and my team put in. It’s just a stepping stone of mine, and we’ve got to keep moving forward.”
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers will throw for 250-plus yards
It may not seem like a bold prediction, but Rodgers has only eclipsed that mark one time all season. It came last week against the Bills, and look for Rodgers to continue the momentum.
The Dolphins are OK against the pass, ranking No. 12 in the NFL with 202.6 yards per game. But they have struggled against the run, standing at No. 25. It may seem counterintuitive to suggest a strong passing game for Rodgers. But look for him to hit multiple big passes through play action as the Dolphins overcommit to try to stop the run.
Rodgers also found a way to get the ball down the field last week, starting on the first play from scrimmage, according to The Athletic.
“(Arthur Smith) wanted to be aggressive on the first play,” Rodgers said. “You guys were talking about we hadn’t completed a pass over 20 yards in a while. We took a shot.”
Head coach Mike Tomlin said the approach to the downfield passing game matters.
“It’s a mentality thing, particularly as the road gets narrow,” coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. “But also, the schematics are a component of it. We knew we would have opportunities. We’ve just been in those circumstances with Baltimore so many times over the years.”
Receiver Calvin Austin III added, “Sometimes, it’s a matter of taking what the defense gives you,” receiver Calvin Austin III said. “Sometimes it’s a matter of forcing the defense to get into certain looks we can take advantage of. I think it was just a combination of both. Basically, forcing them to be in certain coverages where we knew we would get man-to-man. We were just trying to be aggressive and attack.”
Steelers WR D.K. Metcalf will approach 100 yards
Metcalf has only two games over 100 yards, and one where he got close with 95. But he stepped up big time against the Ravens, and his team needs him again.
Look for Rodgers to take at least three deep shots to Metcalf. And if one of them hits, the volume of targets for the rest of the game will help Metcalf push toward the century mark.
There is some concern about Metcalf’s injury, but Tomlin said he believes the standout receiver will play, according to ESPN.
“I don't think it's going to jeopardize his availability at all, but it certainly may jeopardize his availability at the early portions of the week from a practice standpoint,” Tomlin said. “Thankfully, he's fine. I'm appreciative of our medical staff and how quickly they acted, and making sure that he was safe and taking care of him postgame.”
So which team will pull out a win in this battle? The Dolphins have really shown a lot of spirit after the terrible start to the season. Meanwhile, the Steelers might be a little beat up after the tough win over the Ravens. So, let's lean toward the Dolphins. Prediction: Dolphins 24, Steelers 20.
