NOTEBOOK:

Three turnovers at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter doomed any chance the Dolphins had for a comeback.

PITTSBURGH — The Miami Dolphins had a chance to climb back into Sunday’s 30-12 AFC wild-card playoff loss to Pittsburgh late in the second quarter and early in the third.

But their chances were crushed by Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who sacked quarterback Matt Moore twice, causing him to fumble and lose possession of the ball both times, and fellow linebacker Ryan Shazier, who had an interception.

“In the playoffs you can’t have those mistakes, and that’s on me,” said Moore, who completed 29-of-36 passes for 289 yards, one touchdown and one interception. “I have to hold on to the ball. Two fumbles and a pick, that’s not the recipe for success.”

Trailing, 20-6, with 27 seconds left in the first half, the Dolphins drove to Pittsburgh’s 8-yard line but Harrison came in untouched around the left side, stripped the ball, and sacked Moore. Defensive tackle Stephon Tuitt recovered the fumble.

The Dolphins, still trailing, 20-6, took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove to Pittsburgh’s 37-yard line. But Harrison drove running back Jay Ajayi into Moore, and when the two collided Moore fumbled. Free safety Mike Mitchell recovered and it led to a Steelers field goal and a 23-6 lead.

Moore was intercepted on the first play of the following possession when Shazier, a former standout at Plantation High School, dropped into coverage.

Pittsburgh turned that into a touchdown, taking a 30-6 lead that practically ended the game.

The cold

Temperature at kickoff was 17 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel as though it was 2 degrees. It was the third-coldest game in Dolphins history, and the temperature dropped after kickoff.

“I still can’t feel my fingers,” said right guard Jermon Bushrod about 45 minutes after the game.

But the Dolphins didn’t make excuses.

“It was cold,” Ajayi said. “They had to play in the same weather as well. It doesn’t matter.”

Moore takes big hit

Moore took a helmet-to-helmet hit from linebacker Bud Dupree on a play that drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Moore rolled out right, threw an incomplete pass to wide receiver Jarvis Landry and took the vicious hit. Dupree was determined to have used the crown of his helmet, a no-no in the NFL, when he hit Moore in the head and chest area.

Moore, who was in concussion protocol earlier this season, was checked by doctors on the sideline and only missed one play while backup T.J. Yates took the field.

“I was checking to see if I had my teeth, really,” Moore said.

DeCastro vs. Suh

Pittsburgh Pro Bowl right guard David DeCastro did a better job on Dolphins Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh than anyone in the past two seasons. DeCastro was upset after the October game when Suh appeared to kick quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in his right knee on a pass rush.

Suh got a touch of revenge in the third quarter when he dominated DeCastro and sacked Roethlisberger. Other than that, this matchup was all DeCastro . ...

The Dolphins won the coin toss and opted to take the second half kickoff and Pittsburgh scored on the game’s opening possession, a bad omen for the Dolphins, who went 5-6 this season when the opponent scored first and 5-0 when they scored first . ...

The Dolphins inactive players were quarterback Ryan Tannehill, cornerback Byron Maxwell, safety A.J. Hendy, tight end Thomas Duarte, offensive tackle Sam Young and wide receiver Leonte Carroo. ...

The Dolphins were 4-4 on the road in the regular season, but including Sunday’s loss they ended the season 0-3 on the road against teams with winning records.

JIM RASSOL/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Miami Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore had a hard time recovering at first after he was hit by Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree. He returned after missing one play.