The Miami Dolphins fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28–15, Monday night at Acrisure Stadium. After a scoreless opening quarter and a tightly contested first half, Pittsburgh seized control with touchdowns on four straight drives. Miami’s offense responded late with two touchdowns from tight end Darren Waller, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

Both defenses controlled the early moments. Miami’s opening drive showed promise, highlighted by a 20-yard completion to tight end Julian Hill, but stalled near midfield. Pittsburgh went three-and-out on their first possession, setting the tone for a first quarter defined by field position and physical play. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who entered Week 15 leading the NFL in tackles, recorded a third-down sack of quarterback Aaron Rodgers to halt a lengthy Steelers drive.

Miami struck first in the second quarter. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa extended the drive on third down and connected with running back De’Von Achane for a 24-yard gain, which set up a 54-yard field goal by kicker Riley Patterson, a new career long, giving the Dolphins a 3–0 lead.

The Steelers responded with their most balanced drive of the half, marching 60 yards in 12 plays. Pittsburgh converted the possession into points with a direct snap to tight end Connor Heyward, who powered in from one yard out to give the Steelers a 7-3 halftime lead.

The Steelers opened the third quarter with a six-play, 71-yard touchdown drive capped by a 19-yard strike from Rodgers to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. On Pittsburgh’s next possession, Rodgers found wide receiver D.K. Metcalf for a 28-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 21–3.

The momentum continued early in the fourth quarter when the Steelers put together a nine-play, 81-yard drive. Tight end Jonnu Smith finished the march with a 14-yard touchdown run, giving Pittsburgh a 28–3 advantage.

Miami responded in the fourth quarter as Tagovailoa led a six-play, 65-yard drive highlighted by a 20-yard completion to Waller before connecting with Waller again for a six-yard touchdown. The Dolphins followed with another extended possession, as Tagovailoa found Waller for a 13-yard score — marking Waller’s second touchdown of the night and the fourth two-touchdown reception game of his career. The score trimmed the deficit to 28–15 and marked the final points of the evening.

Tagovailoa finished 22-of-28 for 253 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 113.2. Achane totaled 127 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 60 yards and adding 67 more through the air, marking the 20th 100-yard scrimmage game of his career. Waller was Miami’s top target, hauling in seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Brooks paced Miami with 13 tackles (seven solo), two tackles for loss, a sack and a pass defensed, extending his league-leading tackle total to 155 on the season. Defensive tackles Zach Sieler and Zeek Biggers each recorded sacks, while linebacker Tyrel Dodson added 10 tackles (eight solo).

The Dolphins will return home next Sunday, December 21, to face the Cincinnati Bengals. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. EST, with coverage airing on CBS.