The Miami Dolphins are winners of four straight games, and will now look to extend their streak to five as they take on the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are winners of 23 straight Monday Night Football games at home, a streak the Dolphins will hope to put to an end.
The Dolphins will likely be without the services of defensive back Elijah Campbell, who is listed as doubtful going into the game. The defensive back has been active for ten games this season, where he’s primarily been a special teams contributor. The veteran player is in the fifth season with the Dolphins. He’s been a key member of the special teams unit, even being described as a “special teams ace.”
Dolphins vs Steelers History
GettyDolphins vs Steelers 2022
The Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers are two of the NFL’s historic franchises. They combined for six Super Bowl wins in the 1970s, a decade where they faced each other twice in the postseason. They went 1-1 in their matchups. Both teams would win the Super Bowl in the seasons they eliminated the other team.
They last faced each other in 2022 on Sunday Night Football. The game marked Tua Tagovailoa’s return from a scary concussion he suffered against the Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Miami came out victorious with a 16-10 win that ended when the Steelers quarterback threw a fourth-quarter interception.
Prior to that matchup, the Steelers had won two consecutive games against the Dolphins. Their last postseason game occurred in 2017 when Pittsburgh beat Miami 30-12 in the Wild Card round. That game marked Miami’s first postseason appearance since the 2008 season. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since that encounter with the Dolphins.
Familiar Faces on Both Sides
The Miami Dolphins and Steelers made headlines this offseason as they agreed on a blockbuster trade. Miami sent seven-time Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey and Pro-Bowler Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh, meanwhile the Steelers sent five-time Pro Bowler Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami. Ramsey only spent two years with the Dolphins while Smith played only one year with Miami despite agreeing on a two year deal. However, Fitzpatrick played six seasons with the Steelers.
Regarding playing his former team, Fitzpatrick downplayed the situation as he said, “The only reason why it’s a big week this week is because we have a game and we got to win it”. The Dolphins defensive back had previously asked members of the media not to ask him about his tenure with the Steelers, the reason for that remains unknown.
Ramsey had a similar mindset, as he said “I attack the week as I would attack any other week, honestly.” Unlike Fitzpatrick, Ramsey does have the benefit of familiarity with the Dolphins quarterback as he practiced against him for two seasons. Regarding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Ramsey said “We got to be on our game… me being over there with Tua for a little minute I know what he’s about, I know what type of guy he is and what type of player he is.”
About facing Ramsey, Tua Tagovailoa said “We all know Jalen is a very aggressive player. That’s sort of Jalen’s mindset as well, but we’re not just playing against Ramsey, we’re playing against the entire defense, but he adds a big piece to that defense, for sure.”
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