Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
X’S AND OMAR:
Beatdown from Pittsburgh Steelers emphasizes importance of needed improvements on offense and defense
Omar Kelly says the Steelers manhandled the Dolphins at the line of scrimmage and it is an issue Miami must address moving forward.
PITTSBURGH — Humiliation is usually a great motivator.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could have easily used the 30-15 pummeling it got from the Miami Dolphins in Week 6 to fuel them for Sunday’s playoff rematch, considering how the Steelers were dominated at the line of scrimmage during that October loss.
But Sunday’s performance wasn’t about the Steelers getting revenge. It was about Pittsburgh getting to Houston, which is where Super Bowl LI will be played on Feb. 5. The Dolphins happened to be in Pittsburgh’s way, so the Steelers shoved them to the side, figuratively and literally.
“We don’t care about the nameless gray faces we’re playing,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, referring to the Dolphins. “This is man versus himself. We’re trying to do what’s required to win. We’re not trying to settle vendettas and things of that nature. They beat us fair and square in Week 6.”
The Steelers returned the favor during Sunday’s 30-12 win, advancing to the second round of the AFC playoffs by pushing Miami around.
Football games are usually won and lost in the trenches — especially in the playoffs — and that’s the main reason Pittsburgh dominated Miami.
The Dolphins couldn’t run the football against Pittsburgh, gaining 52 rushing yards on 21 carries.
The Dolphins couldn’t protect the quarterback, allowing Matt Moore to get sacked five times, and two of those sacks led to lost fumbles that ended potential scoring drives.
The Dolphins couldn’t stop the run, allowing Pro Bowl tailback Le’Veon Bell to rush for a postseason franchise-record 167 yards and two touchdowns.
The Dolphins couldn’t pressure Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked once before hurting his ankle on Cameron Wake’s lone quarterback hit of the game, which came on Pittsburgh’s final offensive play.
“It was tough,” Moore said. “We had a difficult time running the ball.”
The Dolphins averaged 2.5 yards per run against Pittsburgh, which was a drastic contrast from the 204-yard performance tailback Jay Ajayi put together on 25 carries back in that October win.
“They stacked the box and we did not execute how we should have,” Ajayi said. “It’s as simple as that.”
But Miami’s defensive problems are far more complicated.
Miami’s defense allowed a franchise-record 6,122 yards in the regular season, and finished 30th in the NFL against the run, giving up 140 rushing yards per contest.
So it shouldn’t have surprised anyone that Pittsburgh’s offense, which possesses a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Roethlisberger, and a Pro Bowl tandem at receiver and tailback in Antonio Brown and Bell, shredded Miami defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s unit.
Brown built a 14-0 lead for the Steelers scoring on two explosive plays that accounted for 50 yards and 62 yards in the first quarter, and then Bell finished the Dolphins off with physical runs in the second half.
There were times when Bell didn’t have to make a cut until he was four of five yards downfield.
“We weren’t filling gaps like we should have,” said defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was often being single-blocked by Steelers guard David DeCastro.
Getting manhandled by Pittsburgh like Miami did should make fortifying both sides of the team’s line the main priority this offseason.
Suh needs a better running mate at defensive tackle, the ends have to set the edges better, and the Dolphins need to add a play-making linebacker to the defense.
On offense, the Dolphins need to get a healthy Mike Pouncey back, and figure out what’s the best strategy to reinforce the interior of the offensive line.
Right guard Jermon Bushrod, 32, is set to become a free agent and the Dolphins have to decide if they want to re-sign him. And Miami has a tough financial decision to make at left tackle. Either they honor Branden Albert’s contract, which will pay him $8.9 million in 2017, or move Laremy Tunsil out to left tackle and find someone else to play left guard.
None of these shortcomings will be easy spots to upgrade, but if there was a game that showed the Dolphins how important those improvements are it was Sunday’s beatdown by the Steelers.