Offense sizzles as Steelers stay in 1st place with crowd-pleasing win over Miami

Nobody booed “Renegade” or chanted for Mike Tomlin to be fired in the second half Monday night.

Funny how playing with a multi-score lead can change a fan base’s emotions. On a night when the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated their annual Hall of Honor class, nothing but positive vibes flowed inside Acrisure Stadium.

Following a slow start, the Steelers kicked it into gear late in the first half and rolled past the Miami Dolphins, 28-15, to improve to 8-6 and maintain sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

The win was the second in a row for the Steelers, their first winning streak since they were 4-1 in October.

“I think we’re getting there,” said inside linebacker Patrick Queen, who had two tackles for loss and a team-high 11 tackles. “There are still chips to peck away at, but for the most part, I think we’re doing a hell of a job right now.”

The Steelers, who haven’t lost at home on “Monday Night Football” since 1991, hold a one-game lead over 7-7 Baltimore and can clinch the division title merely by beating the Ravens in the Week 18 rematch. In between, the Steelers have road games at Detroit and Cleveland.

This time a year ago, the Steelers finished the regular season with a four-game losing streak. Just two weeks ago, boos cascaded throughout Acrisure Stadium during a second-half implosion against Buffalo.

Since then, the Steelers have beaten the Ravens and Dolphins, who entered the game on a four-game winning streak.

“Got to stack them like hotcakes,” said defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who had one of the team’s four sacks. “In this game, it’s very precious to get a win, and we don’t take them for granted.”

Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes in the second half as the Steelers scored 28 unanswered points, while tight ends Connor Heyward and Jonnu Smith had rushing touchdowns.

The Dolphins (6-8) were eliminated from playoff contention. Trying to end a bleak run of losses in cold-weather temperatures, Miami held a late-night workout Saturday at Robert Morris University to prepare for the elements.

But the Dolphins were no match for the crisp 17-degree conditions and lost their 13th consecutive game when playing when the game-time temperature is 40 or below. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa dropped to 0-6 in such games.

It didn’t matter that former NFL defensive player of the year T.J. Watt was out with a partially collapsed lung. The Steelers didn’t need his presence to make Tagovailoa miserable. Asante Samuel, making his first start at cornerback, intercepted Tagovailoa in the first quarter. The Steelers sacked Tagovailoa four times in the second half.

“It was a great time out there,” Queen said, “especially with the defense putting up stops and us putting up points.”

Rodgers completed 23 of 27 passes for 224 yards and threw touchdown passes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and DK Metcalf in the third quarter. He wasn’t bothered by the cold weather, completing 13 passes in a row at one juncture.

“I feel real comfortable in this environment,” Rodgers said. “The crowd was real good tonight. I feel comfortable in cold weather, and I’ve always been able to throw good in the cold in Green Bay. It can be an advantage if you embrace it.”

For the first time this season, the Steelers got a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. Rodgers threaded a 19-yard pass to Valdes-Scantling in the back of the end zone to give the Steelers a 14-3 lead. It was the second quick strike for the Steelers, who scored their first touchdown with 17 seconds left in the first half.

“I thought that was a gigantic momentum swing,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said.

The touchdown came two plays after Kenny Gainwell broke free along the right sideline for a 38-yard run. Gainwell had a game-high 80 yards rushing on 13 attempts, and the Steelers rushed for 135 yards while holding the Dolphins to 63. During Miami’s four-game winning streak, the Dolphins averaged 192 rushing yards.

“We needed to stop the run, and certainly we needed to run the ball in the effort to flip that component,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “I think that made the engineering of victory more fluid.”

The offense continued to hum after Jalen Ramsey sacked Tagovailoa for a 12-yard loss on third down. Rodgers led a 10-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that gave the Steelers a 21-3 lead with 4:58 left in the third.

The drive culminated with Rodgers throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Metcalf, the wide receiver fending off several tackles after catching the pass over the middle and fighting his way over the goal line. Metcalf easily cast aside former Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick before breaking toward the end zone.

“When he plays mad like that, you better get out of his way,” Cameron Heyward said.

That’s when the Jumbotron went black, and the Styx rock anthem was cued up. Two weeks earlier, in a 26-7 loss to Buffalo, the fans booed “Renegade” and calls for Tomlin’s firing soon followed. This time, thousands of Terrible Towels twirled around the stadium.

“It comes down to owning it and being accountable with what you do,” Heyward said. “Understand our fans are passionate, but our players are passionate, our coaches are passionate. We hold ourselves to a higher standard.”

Duly inspired, the defense produced another sack of Tagovailoa, with Payton Wilson dropping him for an 11-yard loss on third down.

The Steelers responded with their fourth touchdown in as many possessions. The nine-play, 71-yard drive ended with Smith lining up in the backfield, taking a pitch from Rodgers and running around right end for a 14-yard touchdown and 28-3 lead.

“We haven’t been the most dynamic, explosive offense this season,” Rodgers said, “but we’ve been good in the red zone. … We’ve had stretches where we played good football. I think tonight was the first time we played complementary football in all three phases.”

The question is whether the Steelers can maintain it and win the division for the first time since 2020.

“See you next week,” Tomlin said. “Keep watching.”