The Pittsburgh Steelers took over first place in the AFC North last week, but now, they have to keep it. That won’t be easy with their remaining schedule, either. The Steelers play the Miami Dolphins this week. While the Dolphins started poorly this season, they’ve been much better recently. Currently, they’re 6-7, winning their last four games. Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker thinks they’ll continue their hot streak in Pittsburgh.
“I like the Dolphins in this one,” Tucker said recently on his YouTube channel. “There’s something about them. I like the way they’ve been playing. I’ve been really impressed with how they’ve been playing.
“You can’t really say the same necessarily for the Steelers, although the Steelers are coming off their best game of the year offensively, so that’s something to note. But right now, I still feel like the Dolphins are the better team.”
Yes, the Dolphins have a better record in recent weeks than the Steelers. However, consider who the Dolphins have played. They started their win streak by upsetting the Buffalo Bills, which was a good win.
The other teams that they’ve beaten haven’t been great, though. They include the Washington Commanders without their starting quarterback, the New Orleans Saints, who are one of the worst teams in the league, and the New York Jets, who had undrafted rookie Brady Cook playing QB most of the game.
The Dolphins can only beat the teams in front of them, so they shouldn’t be bashed too much for their schedule. However, context matters. Miami has yet to beat a team with a winning record outside of Buffalo. That makes the Steelers a big test.
Also, the game is in Pittsburgh. The temperature is forecast to be around 20 degrees, and the Dolphins don’t have a good track record of playing in the cold. That could give the Steelers an additional boost.
There are some reasons to project a Dolphins win, including the team’s great rushing attack. However, the Steelers, despite their ups and downs, have shown flashes of solid play. Like Tucker mentions, they played well last week against the Baltimore Ravens. After several rough games, the Steelers looked like they were getting back on track.
Maybe their inconsistency will strike again, but the Steelers don’t seem to be getting comfortable, even though they just beat the Ravens. They’re focused on not allowing the AFC North title to slip through their fingers again. The Dolphins have played well recently, but this week could prove to be a bigger challenge.
