The cold. The stakes. The calendar shrinking toward December’s final stretch. And for Aaron Rodgers, it all looked familiar again Monday night at Acrisure Stadium, where the Pittsburgh Steelers put the chill on the Miami Dolphins with a decisive 28-15 victory that tightened their grip on the AFC North and officially ended Miami’s playoff hopes.
Pittsburgh may not be Green Bay, and the 2025 version of Rodgers is not quite the MVP who once ruled Januaries in Wisconsin. Still, the four-time league MVP offered a reminder that there is plenty of life left in his 42-year-old right arm — and in a maddeningly hot-and-cold Steelers team that suddenly looks very comfortable as the postseason approaches.
Rodgers passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns, completing an astonishing 23 of 27 passes as Pittsburgh (8-6) maintained its one-game lead over Baltimore atop the AFC North with three weeks remaining.
While Rodgers said afterward he wasn’t quite in what he called a “flow state,” he certainly looked at ease, becoming the oldest quarterback in NFL history to complete at least 85% of his passes in a game. He diced up Miami with quick, efficient throws, getting the ball out fast and allowing Pittsburgh’s playmakers to do the rest.
That approach paid off in a decisive third quarter. Rodgers hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 19-yard touchdown and later threaded a vintage strike between two defenders to DK Metcalf for a 28-yard score. Metcalf punctuated the moment by shoving former Steeler Minkah Fitzpatrick aside on his way to the end zone — a flash of dominance that echoed Rodgers’ prime years.
Kenneth Gainwell was the engine underneath it all, piling up 126 total yards and catching a team-high seven passes as the Steelers scored touchdowns on four straight possessions and pulled away.
As uneven as Pittsburgh has appeared at times this season, everything remains in front of it as Christmas approaches.
Miami (6-8), meanwhile, watched its slim playoff hopes freeze solid. The Dolphins entered the night on a four-game winning streak and even practiced in the snow at nearby Robert Morris University in an attempt to prepare. It didn’t matter.
Miami managed a 3-0 lead in a sluggish first half on Riley Patterson’s career-long 54-yard field goal, but once Rodgers warmed up, the Dolphins had no answers.
Tua Tagovailoa finished 22 of 28 for 254 yards, but his night was emblematic of Miami’s season — flashes late, frustration early. He threw two garbage-time touchdowns to Darren Waller and an NFL-leading 15th interception, and remained winless in games played with kickoff temperatures below 40 degrees.
De’Von Achane, so critical to Miami’s recovery from a 1-6 start, totaled 128 yards from scrimmage but was largely erased during the game’s decisive stretch. The Dolphins managed minus-20 yards of total offense in the third quarter, a stunning collapse as Pittsburgh asserted control. The Steelers also stayed unbeaten at home on Monday nights since 1992.
Perhaps most impressive was how Pittsburgh did it without T.J. Watt. The perennial All-Pro is out indefinitely after surgery to repair a collapsed lung suffered during a dry-needling treatment last week. Yet for one night, his absence hardly registered.
The Steelers sacked Tagovailoa four times, with defensive captain Cam Heyward honoring Watt after one of them by attempting his teammate’s signature leg kick — though Heyward admitted he didn’t quite get it high enough.
Asante Samuel Jr. also made a pivotal impact, intercepting Tagovailoa early for his first pick with Pittsburgh after joining the practice squad in October, six months removed from neck surgery.
The loss casts an uncertain shadow over Miami’s future. The Dolphins’ recent improvement may have temporarily stabilized coach Mike McDaniel’s standing, but with the playoffs now out of reach, the organization turns its focus forward — a future that may or may not include the bespectacled 42-year-old head coach whose unconventional approach could be wearing thin.
For Pittsburgh, the outlook is far brighter. Rodgers isn’t the same quarterback he once was, but on a bitter Monday night with everything on the line, he looked close enough.
Dolphins host Cincinnati on Sunday. Steelers travel to Detroit on Sunday.
