The Pittsburgh Steelers have not lost a \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d home game since 1991. They can extend that historic run and expand their AFC North lead with a cold-weather win versus the Miami Dolphins. Once relegated to the 2025 season\u2019s front-row hot seat, these Dolphins have shown some recent fortitude and splash into this telecast with four straight Ws.<\/p>\n
At the beating heart of the Week 15 finale, Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick share a field just a few months after they were traded for each other. Ramsey and Fitzpatrick both have three first-team All-Pro honors, and they both have ample motivation to spoil their former team\u2019s playoff effort.<\/p>\n
How to watch Dolphins at Steelers<\/p>\n
All ESPN networks also stream on ESPN Unlimited.<\/p>\n
The teamsMiami (6-7)<\/p>\n
Good: The Dolphins defense is on a roll right now, allowing an average of 13.25 points per game during the team\u2019s four-game winning streak. It has 10 takeaways in that span, too. Zach Sieler, Miami\u2019s 6-foot-6 edge rusher, had 2 1\/2 of the group\u2019s six sacks last weekend against the New York Jets. On the other side of the ball, De\u2019Von Achane leads all rushers with 5.8 yards per carry, and his three-down explosiveness opens up the Mike McDaniel playbook. He left last Sunday\u2019s win over the Jets due to rib pain, but he is expected to play Monday. If the Mach-speed Achane isn\u2019t 100 percent, Miami will have to lean on the Tua Tagovailoa-Jaylen Waddle connection:<\/p>\n
Penguin in the end zone earlyyyy\u203c\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Hit the RT to #ProBowlVote<\/a> \u2014 Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Bad: Despite the recent uptick, Miami is still frantically treading water in the AFC postseason fixture. The Dolphins are 2-4 on the road this year, and the passing game hasn\u2019t cracked 200 net yards since Oct. 30. This is not a team designed to play from behind. It\u2019s also not one for frigidity. Per TruMedia, the Week 14 win in MetLife Stadium was the coldest game Tagovailoa has won in his career \u2014 it was 41 degrees at kickoff. The local forecast Monday night calls for freezing temperatures<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh (7-6)<\/p>\n Good: Aaron Rodgers is coming off a 284-yard game against the rival Baltimore Ravens, an unexpected vintage performance that gave his Steelers the AFC North\u2019s inside track. He completed four passes that went 20+ yards downfield, his season high through 13 outings. DK Metcalf was the clear beneficiary, and he finished with 148 yards on seven catches. With a bit more zip in base formation, Mike Tomlin has simplified the script on short-yardage spots, and let the backfield of Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren do their thing in space:<\/p>\n No traffic when you create your own lane \ud83d\udca8 #ProBowlVote<\/a> @Nunless2<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: #PITvsBAL<\/a> on @paramountplus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KYKVtuAOvb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n According to TruMedia, Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith has five second-half sacks since Week 9, which is the second-best mark in the league. In that same stretch, Pittsburgh posts a 40 percent pressure rate with Highsmith on the field. Without him, that falls to 27 percent.<\/p>\n Bad: All-decade pocket pusher T.J. Watt just had surgery on a partially collapsed lung<\/a>. Scary and dispiriting stuff. Without Watt, Highsmith will draw additional blockers and be easier to isolate. Overall, the defense has been on the field for far too long \u2014 through 14 weeks, it is 27th in third-down efficiency, 28th in total yards allowed, 30th in time per drive and last in snaps faced per possession.<\/p>\n The broadcast<\/p>\n This week\u2019s MNF is exclusive to ESPN, which means no over-the-air option on ABC. The usual Monday crew is on tap by the Three Rivers: Joe Buck with play-by-play, Troy Aikman with analysis and a Lisa Salters-Laura Rutledge sideline duo.<\/p>\n \u201cMonday Night Countdown\u201d programming begins two hours before at 6 p.m. ET. Once the game is underway, ESPN2 will have its usual Manning brothers simulcast. Among this week\u2019s possible guests is country singer Lainey Wilson. According to Eli \u2026 she would if she could, but she can\u2019t, so she won\u2019t, but she wants to? Apparently, that\u2019s a confirmation:<\/p>\n Last year, Wilson hosted the Country Music Awards with Peyton. She\u2019s also engaged to former Steelers backup QB Devlin \u201cDuck\u201d Hodges, who went 3-3 for the black and yellow across six emergency starts in 2019.<\/p>\n The streak<\/p>\n Pittsburgh is going for its 23rd home \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d win in a row. That stretch dates back to Oct. 14, 1991, when Ray Handley\u2019s New York Giants topped Chuck Noll and the hosts. So, the last time the Steelers dropped a Monday game on their own field:<\/p>\n Robin Williams was a box office No. 1 as \u201cThe Fisher King.\u201d There have been a few close calls along the way. In 1998, the Steelers took a 27-0 lead against the Green Bay Packers, only to survive a second-half surge and hang on 27-20. They needed a late Jeff Reed field goal to bend past the Baltimore Ravens with a 20-19 victory in 2005. They sloshed and winched through a supremely ugly 3-0 win over the Dolphins two years later. And their 2021 thriller with the Chicago Bears ended with a Chris Boswell clincher.<\/p>\n The late-season, playoff-affirming win is far more important to Tomlin and company, but this is a cool streak that deserves shine until it snaps. Ironically, the Steelers are 0-3 in night games so far this season, and per TruMedia, they have a minus-6 turnover differential in prime time. Something\u2019s gotta give come Monday.<\/p>\n The beef<\/p>\n On June 30 of this offseason, Ramsey and Fitzpatrick became intertwined by football fate and front office whims<\/a>. Ramsey went from South Beach to the Steel City, less than 10 months after signing a massive three-year contract extension<\/a>. Fitzpatrick got an unlikely second stint with the Dolphins, after he was initially traded to the Steelers<\/a> in 2019.<\/p>\n Ramsey at a loss for words is like a Yinzer without a towel. The galvanizing and smack-talking safety (officially shifted as of last month<\/a>) will try to intercept his ex-teammate Tagovaiola, who entered Week 15 with the NFL\u2019s second-highest interception rate (J.J. McCarthy was first). Remember, Ramsey had so much to say about his first former quarterback, Blake Bortles<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fitzpatrick downplayed the revenge angle in media availability, but his defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver, underscored<\/a> his desire to make an impact in such a publicized spot.<\/p>\n In another world, Fitzpatrick and Ramsey would captain the secondary of our \u201cbest of both franchises\u201d squad. Speaking of:<\/p>\n Fantasy fusion team<\/p>\n Players to wear both jerseys, via Pro Football Reference<\/p>\n QB: Earl Morrall, 1957-76 Not the most inspiring offense, but fear not, because the defense is nasty. Fitzpatrick and Ramsey are joined by Joey Porter (1999-2009) and Lawrence Timmons (2007-17) at linebacker.<\/p>\n Dolphins at Steelers odds<\/p>\n Ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply.\u00a0The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n
Jaylen Waddle + Tua Tagovailoa pic.twitter.com\/vxeB6UxhpV<\/a><\/p>\n
\nGuns N\u2019 Roses had the top album on the Billboard charts (\u201cUse Your Illusion II\u201d).
\nJoe Buck was a rookie broadcaster with the St. Louis Cardinals.
\nRodgers was 7, and Tagovailoa wouldn\u2019t be born for another seven years.<\/p>\n
\nRB: Kalen Ballage, 2018-21
\nWR: Mike Wallace, 2009-14
\nTE: Jonnu Smith, 2024-present
\nFLEX: Chase Claypool, 2020-23<\/p>\n