Maybe it’s because the Pittsburgh Steelers have won just two of their first six games themselves, or perhaps memories of 2018 defeats to bottom feeders Oakland and Denver still linger. Regardless of why, though, the Steelers insist they are not looking past the winless Miami Dolphins.
Miami is 0-6 heading into Monday night’s game at Heinz Field.
“They are going to be awful hard to beat, because they play,” Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said, referring to the Dolphins’ effort. “And they are going to play well. They can look at their situation and say ‘We’re young,’ and they’ve had some transition, but they have been close to winning some games lately.”
After being outscored, 163-26, in losing all of their September games, the Dolphins have been much more competitive after their bye. In two games since the bye – and since switching from Josh Rosen back to veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick – Miami has a mere minus-11 point differential.
The Steelers opened up as 16-point favorites in the game, though that line moved down close to two touchdowns by Thursday. According to covers.com, the most recent time a line closed with the Steelers more than a two-touchdown favorite was almost a decade ago – Dec. 6, 2009, at home against the Oakland Raiders.
Dolphins and tanking have been synonymous for most of the year. But an on-field improvement in play and aggressiveness over the last 2 weeks makes it clear Miami players and coaches are thirsty for a win.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 23, 2019
My story: https://t.co/dnaYmW6A4B
Veteran cornerback Joe Haden – a man who entered more than a few games as a two-touchdown underdog over seven seasons the Cleveland Browns – noted that facing a last-place team means being prepared for an opponent that has nothing to lose.
“One thousand percent,” Haden said. “I have been in positions when you know your team whether it (works), it doesn’t matter— you will fake punts, fake field goals, do a little of everything, go for it on fourth down… We have to be locked in and make sure we don’t take any team for granted.”
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