Dolphins Riding Late-Season Momentum into Crucial Monday Night Clash with Steelers
After a rough start that had many writing them off before Halloween, the Miami Dolphins have clawed their way back into the playoff conversation. Now sitting at 6-7, Miami heads into a high-stakes Monday Night Football showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers with everything on the line - momentum, postseason hopes, and maybe even the direction of the franchise.
This Dolphins team has been through it this year. A 1-6 start had the locker room searching for answers, and there were some ugly moments - including a blowout loss in Cleveland that felt like rock bottom.
But since then? A complete turnaround.
Four straight wins, including a dominant 34-10 performance over the Jets last week, have Miami trending in the right direction at exactly the right time.
A Season Rewritten
It wasn’t long ago that questions swirled around Mike McDaniel’s squad - about leadership, execution, and whether this team had lost its edge. But a players-only meeting after that 1-6 start seems to have sparked something.
Since Week 8, Miami has looked like a different team, stringing together wins over Atlanta, Buffalo, Washington, and New York. That kind of midseason course correction doesn’t happen by accident.
Now, with just a few weeks left in the regular season, the Dolphins are playing like a team that believes it belongs in the postseason - even if the math says they’ll need help to get there.
De’Von Achane Leading the Charge
One of the biggest reasons for Miami’s resurgence? De’Von Achane.
The second-year running back has been electric, racking up over 1,100 rushing yards and giving the Dolphins a dynamic threat out of the backfield. He briefly left last week’s game against the Jets with a rib issue, but the MRI came back clean and head coach Mike McDaniel says he’s on track to play Monday night in Pittsburgh.
“He looks good,” McDaniel said this week. And that’s good news for Miami, because Achane’s ability to break off chunk plays and keep defenses honest has been a game-changer during this win streak.
Tua and the Air Attack
While the ground game has been solid, the Dolphins’ offense still runs through Tua Tagovailoa - and when he’s on, this unit can move the ball with the best of them.
Tagovailoa has thrown for over 2,400 yards this season, and his connection with Jaylen Waddle has been a bright spot. Waddle has already cleared 800 receiving yards, and his ability to stretch the field gives Miami a vertical threat that can flip field position in a hurry.
That said, consistency has been an issue at times. There have been stretches where the offense stalls, and against a Steelers defense that thrives on pressure and turnovers, Miami can’t afford to be careless.
Still, McDaniel likes what he’s seen from his quarterback and his team. “We’re playing with an edge,” he said this week. “There’s a belief in this locker room that we can win any game we’re in.”
Defense Still a Work in Progress
While the offense has been finding its rhythm, the defense remains a bit of a mixed bag.
At their best, Miami’s defense has been opportunistic, creating turnovers and key stops in big moments. But they’ve also struggled to contain explosive offenses - something Pittsburgh is capable of becoming, especially with their mix of power running and play-action.
If Miami wants to keep its playoff hopes alive, the defense will need to tighten up - especially against a Steelers team that’s currently leading the AFC North and playing with purpose.
Monday Night Stakes
This one’s big. For Pittsburgh, it’s about holding onto first place in the division and continuing to build toward January. For Miami, it’s simple: win or risk falling out of the playoff picture entirely.
The Dolphins can’t afford another slip-up. At 6-7, the margin for error is razor-thin. They’ll likely need to win out and get some help along the way to punch their postseason ticket.
But if the last month has shown us anything, it’s that this team isn’t going down without a fight.
Come Monday night, under the lights in Pittsburgh, we’ll find out just how far this Dolphins team has come - and whether this late-season surge is the start of something special or just a flash before the final fade. Either way, the stage is set for a defining moment in Miami’s 2025 season.