Miami is an annual pick for a top-10 draft selection. The Dolphins have cycled through coaching staffs and free agency busts, but finally appear to have struck the right chord with Adam Gase. Gase, a first-time head coach who reached the Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos in 2013, has proven his worth in spades.
After beginning the year 1-4, Gase implemented wholesale changes to the offensive line on the fly, along with inserting running back Jay Ajayi into the starting lineup. The results were immediate. Miami reeled off nine wins over its last 11 games, and Ajayi rushed for 1,272 yards.
The first of those nine wins? A 30-15 victory at Hard Rock Stadium over Pittsburgh. On Sunday, Gase and the Dolphins will look to repeat the feat. Pittsburgh will expect to repay Miami.
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Within the Steel City, there is a distinguishable sense of urgency. The Steelers are a contender, but the core of this team isn’t built to last much longer. Roethlisberger is banged up ever-increasingly and will turn 35 years old in March. Bell is scheduled for free agency after this campaign, and at 24 will command top-dollar.
Pittsburgh has approximately
$42 million in cap space, giving it good news. Beyond Bell (who would be owed $12.3 million), the Steelers have leading sacker James Harrison and leading tackler Lawrence Timmons in need of new deals. In addition, cornerstones such as Harrison and Timmons are aging.
The Steelers are healthier now than they have been in recent years, and have a seemingly good draw for the Wild Card round. Miami is not experienced nor with its starting quarterback. Combined with Pittsburgh getting home-field advantage on the day, it all lines up for a good afternoon and a trip to Kansas City.
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For Miami’s part, it isn’t interested in being a speed bump on Pittsburgh’s victory tour. The Dolphins have found success both with Ryan Tannehill and Matt Moore, allowing the offense to be led by Ajayi and Gase’s play-calling. Miami is also flush with talent on the outside, paced by third-year man Jarvis Landry. Landry caught 94 passes for 1,136 yards, while DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills combined for 1,470 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Defensively, it’s boom and bust. Ndamukong Suh is playing quality football (72 tackles, five sacks) while inside linebacker Kiko Alonso has found his former self after a couple of injury-plagued seasons. Alonso is terrific against both the run and pass, amassing a team-best 115 tackles with two interceptions, a touchdown and four fumble recoveries.
However, the secondary is a mess. With Byron Maxwell still not practicing and star safety Reshad Jones out for the season, Miami needs its pass rush to make waves. Outside of Cameron Wake and his 11.5 sacks, that facet of its game has been inconsistent with the Dolphins notching 33 sacks for the year.
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For both teams, the stakes are defined and different. Pittsburgh could win this contest and if it loses the next, or the one after that, the season will be branded a failure. Should the Dolphins lose on Sunday, the campaign remains an unqualified success. A win against the Steelers, and it’s the most successful Miami season since the turn of the century.
In large part because of both perceived talent and recent histories, Pittsburgh is the largest favorite of the weekend, laying 10 points in most books. It would be a colossal upset should Roethlisberger lose to the upstart Dolphins at home, knowing this could represent one of his last chances to win a third Super Bowl.
Yet here is Miami, a fly in the ointment. The Dolphins may have the next great head coach and an identity of smashmouth football to go with him. Perhaps the dreams in South Beach will have to wait, with this being a small taste. Or, maybe, they are about to be realized.
