The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t just win a football game. They reinforced a home-night tradition that borders on myth. In the cold at Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh shut the door on the Miami Dolphins’ postseason dreams with a 28-15 Monday Night Football win, stretching the franchise’s incredible home MNF streak to 23 straight victories since 1992. The result keeps the Steelers at 8-6 and on top of the AFC North, while Miami falls to 6-8 with its four-game surge snapped.

Steelers vs. Dolphins: A cold-night reality check

Miami arrived with confidence and even practiced in snow to brace for the chill. For a quarter, the plan looked sharp. Kicker Riley Patterson hammered a career-long 54-yard field goal to make it 3-0. The Dolphins controlled tempo and looked comfortable.

Then Pittsburgh turned the game into a long, methodical squeeze. Over the final 35 minutes, the Steelers overwhelmed Miami, stacking four straight touchdown possessions in the middle stretch and leaning on a defense that won the key moments. In the cold, control matters—and the Steelers controlled just about everything that decided it.

“Rodgers didn’t wow—he controlled the cold.”

Aaron Rodgers manages, then strikes

Aaron Rodgers wasn’t chasing fireworks; he was handling the situation. He finished with 224 passing yards and two touchdowns, both on perfectly timed shots. The first was a 19-yard strike to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a familiar Rodgers deep-threat connection brought to Pittsburgh’s playbook. The second was a 28-yarder to DK Metcalf, a classic power-speed combo route that popped the top off Miami’s secondary.

Those throws weren’t volume plays—they were timely plays. Rodgers read leverage, got the protection he needed, and trusted his guys to win. In a game where yards were earned in inches, those two moments pushed the Steelers’ advantage into points the Dolphins never really threatened until it was too late.

Connor Heyward’s shove, and a swing the Dolphins felt

Right before halftime, the Steelers leaned into the most reliable short-yardage play in football. Connor Heyward bulled in on a goal-line tush push to cap a long drive and flip the game’s feel. It wasn’t flashy. It was pure Pittsburgh: line up, get low, move the pile, take the lead into the break, and set the tone for the second half.

“That tush push before halftime broke Miami’s back.”

Tua Tagovailoa: Efficient line, costly mistake

Tua Tagovailoa’s box score will look clean at a glance: 22-of-28, 254 yards, and two late touchdowns to tight end Darren Waller. But the defining play came on a deep shot that hung too long. The broadcast captured the moment—“SHOT FOR WADDLE, UNDERTHROWN AND PICKED OFF BY ASANTE SAMUEL!”—as Asante Samuel Jr. snagged Tagovailoa’s NFL-leading 15th interception of the season.

Waller’s presence gave Miami a late spark—“DARREN WALLER WITH A GRAB OF 19 YARDS”—and he finished the night as Tagovailoa’s go-to in the red area. But those scores arrived after Pittsburgh had already built a two-possession cushion. The pick was the pivot. In December, on the road, that’s the difference between pressure and panic.

Defensive details that mattered

Pittsburgh’s defense didn’t need a splashy stat line to steer the night. It needed one big takeaway and steady pressure. Samuel’s interception delivered the former. The rush delivered enough of the latter to keep Miami off schedule when it mattered most.

• Linebacker Jordan Brooks notched a sack, pushing him to 3.5 on the year.
• For Miami, defensive lineman Zach Sieler broke through for a sack as the Dolphins tried to claw back with pressure of their own.

For the Dolphins, running back Da’Von Achane was a bright spot. He logged 60 rushing yards and added 6 catches for 68 more, a reminder of his burst and value in space. But with the game script tilting to Pittsburgh, Miami’s balance vanished just as the temperature took hold.

“If you can’t win the turnover battle in December, you can’t win in Pittsburgh.”

Monday Night Football in Pittsburgh: a streak that defines an era

Since 1992, the Steelers have not lost a Monday night game at home. Let that sit for a moment. In a league designed for parity, that is dominance. The new chapter reads the same: cold air, loud stands, measured offense, timely defense. Twenty-three straight Monday night home wins is more than a stat—it’s a standard. Teams feel it when they step into Acrisure under the lights.

AFC North lead, Dolphins’ playoff door closes

The result carries clear weight. At 8-6, the Steelers stay out front in the AFC North chase and bank another tiebreaker-style win for January positioning. Miami’s slide back to 6-8, meanwhile, is costly. The Dolphins’ four-game winning streak is over, and with it went their slim playoff hopes. They prepared for the cold. They got the lesson instead.

How Pittsburgh won the night

• Patience, then precision: Rodgers didn’t force plays; he waited for them. When they were there, he landed them.
• Situational muscle: Short yardage belonged to the Steelers, highlighted by Heyward’s shove at the half.
• The one takeaway: Samuel Jr.’s interception altered Miami’s approach and flow.
• Field position and flow: A steady middle game—those four straight TD drives—turned Miami’s early edge into a chase they couldn’t finish.

Final word

On a night built for grinders and grown-up football, Pittsburgh checked every box. Miami had a plan, and even early points, but the longer the game went, the more it looked like every other Steelers home Monday night—calm, calculated, and closed out. The streak lives. The AFC North lead holds. And the Steelers look very much like a team that understands December.