Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
DOLPHINS’ 30-12 LOSS ENDS PLAYOFF RUN.
Steelers start fast, never let Dolphins recover
PITTSBURGH — It was a good season for the Miami Dolphins, but Sunday was a bad day.
Pittsburgh, led by its high-powered offensive trio of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown, manhandled the Dolphins, 30-12, in an AFC wild-card playoff game at Heinz Field.
Pittsburgh set the tone by jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and held a 20-6 lead at halftime. The Dolphins missed their best opportunities to get back in the game late in the second quarter and early in the third when they suffered three consecutive turnovers (two fumbles and an interception).
After that they could never get back in the game.
The frigid conditions — temperature at kickoff was 17 degrees with a wind chill making it feel like 2 degrees, and it kept getting colder — didn’t affect Miami’s performance. It was Pittsburgh’s talent that was the problem.
“They were able to run the ball, we couldn’t,” coach Adam Gase said. “It was opposite of what we wanted to do. We turned the ball over and we knew we couldn’t do that. Those were two really critical factors that we had to make sure we won, and we didn’t do it.”
The Dolphins (10-7) entered having won nine of their last 11 games. They were making their first playoff appearance since the 2008 season after having their first winning season,
and first 10-win season since 2008.
But Sunday was a total disaster. And few seemed content to take a pat on the back.
“For me mentally, personally, I don’t see this as an accomplishment,” said wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who had 11 receptions for 102 yards. “I don’t see making the playoffs as an accomplishment.”
Miami allowed Pittsburgh to score on drives of 85, 90 and 83 yards in the first half.
“You can’t come out start slow,” defensive end Cameron Wake said.
Offensively, everything was a struggle. Running back Jay Ajayi, who rushed for 204 yards against the Steelers in October when the Dolphins won, 30-15, was held to 33 yards on 16 carries.
Quarterback Matt Moore (29-of-36 passing, 289 yards, one touchdown, one interception, five sacks) had three turnovers, including two lost fumbles.
By contrast, Pittsburgh, which improved its winning streak to eight victories in a row, got commanding performances from its big offensive stars.
Roethlisberger was 13-of-18 passing for 197 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Bell had 167 yards rushing, a Steelers playoff record, on 29 carries and had two touchdowns.
And Brown had five receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns, one a 50-yarder and the other a 62-yarder, both coming in the first quarter.
At halftime, when the Steelers (12-5) led, 20-6, Roethlisberger was 11-of-12 passing for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He had a passer rating of 123.6. Bell had 17 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown, and Brown had four receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. It was that type of day for the Dolphins. However, it was still an outstanding season. The Dolphins started 1-4 but ended up making the playoffs.
“You go out here and you fight, and you start the way you start, and nobody’s giving you a chance, everybody’s writing you off,” right guard Jermon Bushrod said. “And every week everybody’s writing you off and you find a way to win, you find a way to win, you find a way to win and next thing you know we’re in double-digit wins and we’re in the playoffs, and nobody still gives you a chance.
“But that’s OK though because that’s what we were used, what we were OK with. We embraced that process. You don’t like us? Cool. Alright we’re going to find a way to win. You can be up 10, 12 it doesn’t matter. We would find a way. But we weren’t able to do that today because they came to play a full 60 [minutes] and we probably played about 55.
“We just didn’t get it done.”