Game result: The Steelers pulled away after a slow first half and won easily 28-15. They improved to 8-6 with the win and sit one game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Pittsburgh travels to face the Detroit Lions in Week 16. The Dolphins fell to 6-8 and are officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers meet in Pittsburgh on Monday night football to close out Week 15. The Dolphins are 6-7 while the Steelers are 7-6, and both remain in the playoff picture for the time being. Pittsburgh is one of the field goal favorites heading into the game.
The Dolphins have won four straight games and five of their last six to climb to 6-7 and resurrect playoff hopes that seemed dead. In their last five games, they lost to the Ravens, but beat the Falcons, Bills, Commanders, Saints and Jets. The Steelers are coming off a big road win over the Ravens last week, but have struggled since a three-game winning streak in September and October.
Image from the Miami Dolphins playoffs
The Dolphins have a clear need in Monday’s game. If they lose, they are eliminated from the playoff picture. If they win, they would tie with the Ravens. Baltimore would have the tiebreaker in the head-to-head matchup, but both teams would be two games behind the Texans for the final wild card spot. They have the Colts between them and Indy beat the Dolphins, so Miami needs a lot of help the rest of the way.
Image from the Pittsburgh Steelers playoffs
The Steelers are a half-game ahead of the Ravens in the AFC North. A win puts them a full game ahead of Baltimore, but even if they lose, they would still be the first team in the division due to their win over Baltimore last week. The Steelers and Ravens meet in Week 18, and it’s a decent bet that the division title comes down to that game.
Regardless of Monday’s outcome, the Steelers will remain in fourth place in the conference standings. A win would keep them two games behind the Jaguars for third place overall, while a loss would leave them three games back in the conference with three games remaining.
This game could have an impact on the common game tiebreaker between the Steelers and Ravens, as both will have faced the Dolphins. With one game remaining between Pittsburgh and Baltimore, a Ravens win in Week 18 could set them up for the head-to-head tiebreaker to be split, the divisional tiebreaker to be tied, and then move on to the record in common games.