Dolphins-Steelers Week 7 Complete Observations

Checking out the key moments from the Miami Dolphins' 16-10 Sunday night victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Hard Rock Stadium

Sam Navarro - USA Today Sports

Here's what caught our eye during the Miami Dolphins' 16-10 Sunday night Week 7 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Hard Rock Stadium.

-- We'll start with the inactive list, which was highlighted by defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, out with a back injury. The other noteworthy development from the inactive list is the absence of cornerbacks Keion Crossen and Kader Kohou.

-- Along with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, tackle Terron Armstead returned to the lineup after missing the Week 6 game against the Minnesota Vikings because of an ankle injury.

-- One last note on the inactive list involves rookie fourth-round pick Erik Ezukanma, who was inactive for a seventh time in seven games.

FIRST QUARTER

-- The Dolphins got the ball first and put together an massively impressive drive with a lot of quick passing and quick decisions by Tua.

-- The drive actually started poorly with a false start by Liam Eichenberg, who has been struggling lately, followed by a 4-yard loss on a swing pass to Tyreek Hill in the backfield.

-- But then the Dolphins got humming, with Tua completing passes of 20 yards to Jaylen Waddle, 17 and 9 yards to Hill and 18 yards to Mike Gesicki to get in the red zone.

-- Tua capped the drive by hitting Raheem Mostert in the flat on third-and-3 from the 8, with Mostert pretty much waltzing into the end zone for a quick 7-0 lead.

-- The first defensive drive also was impressive, as the Dolphins stopped Najee Harris for 7 yards on two runs and then watched rookie Kenny Pickett overthrow Diontae Johnson down the left sideline after he got behind Noah Igbinoghene.

-- The Dolphins then got the benefit of a bad punt from the Steelers' Pressley Harvin III, but lost some of the great field position when Elijah Campbell was flagged for holding. That's two penalties in the first half of the first quarter, continuing the team's penalty issues.

-- The Dolphins had another productive drive the second time they got the ball, though they had to settle for a field goal.

-- The big play of the drive was a 25-yard completion to Waddle on a deep slant, a play the Dolphins have used to great success all season.

-- Raheem Mostert used his speed and some really good blocking up front, including by Eichenberg, to reel off runs of 5, 12 and 11 yards.

-- Tua committed a big no-no when he scrambled after a naked bootleg and lowered his shoulder to take on a Steelers defender instead of just sliding. It's the type of play that Tua needs to learn to make.

-- The defense finally got a turnover, its first in four games on Pittsburgh's next drive when Justin Bethel took advantage of intended receiver Chase Claypool falling to make an easy pick downfield. It was a good break for the Dolphins, with Claypool falling as the result of some contact with Bethel, whose pick set up the Dolphins at their 47 to start their third drive.

-- The Dolphins added to their lead with a 41-yard field goal by Jason Sanders on a short 30-yard drive highlighted by Tua's 18-yard completion to Waddle over the middle.

-- But Tua was off target on the next three throws to bring about the field goal attempt.

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SECOND QUARTER

-- Pittsburgh's drive spanning the end of the first quarter and the start of the second consisted mostly of short gain, but included a fourth-and-1 conversion from midfield when rookie Jaylen Warren ran 4 yards up the middle.

-- The long gain of the drive was a 12-yard pass to Najee Harris, where the running back escaped Elandon Roberts in the open field. Chris Boswell ended the drive with a 45-yard field goal to cut the Dolphins lead to 13-3.

-- The Dolphins' next drive ended after only one first down due to a combination of miscues. Hill looked like he stopped for a second on a slant, leading to Tua overshooting him over the middle and then on third down Chase Edmonds failed to catch a slightly off-target throw but one that easily was catchable.

-- The Dolphins had the Steelers in a second-and-14 hole from their 10, but that quickly changed with a 30-yard completion to George Pickens, who was left wide open down the sideline in a clear busted coverage.

-- The Steelers then overcame a first-and-20 hole when Pickett scrambled 16 yards on third-and-12 to take Pittsburgh just outside the red zone.

-- Elandon Roberts had another missed tackle on a 12-yard run by Najee Harris on the next play, which gave the Steelers a first down at the 10-yard line.

-- That drive ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Pickett to Pickens when Noah Igbinoghene had very good coverage but never turned for the ball while Pickens twisted his body to make the back-shoulder throw.

-- The Dolphins began their final drive of the half with a 32-yard completion to Trent Sherfield, who stole the ball from the Pittsburgh defender.

-- After a Tua scramble made it third-and-1, Liam Eichenberg was flagged for a second false start.

-- The Dolphins converted the ensuing third-and-6 when Hill got open down the right sideline and made a nice catch on an underthrown ball.

-- The 21-yard completion to Hill set up Jason Sanders' third field goal of the half, a 47-yard kick that made it 16-10.

THIRD QUARTER

-- The second half began with back-to-backs plays by Jaelan Phillips, who dropped Najee Harris for a 1-yard loss on a run with nice pursuit from the back side and then got a sack after Zach Sieler's penetration forced Kenny Pickett to roll to his left.

-- The Dolphins' first drive of the second half is highlight by a 25-yard completion to Jaylen Waddle over the middle followed by an 18-yard run by Mostert, but ends with some highly questionable decisions by head coach Mike McDaniel.

-- With Mostert on the sideline, the Dolphins hand off to Chase Edmonds on third-and-2 from the Steelers 13 and he's stuffed for a 1-yard loss. On fourth-and-3 from the 14, McDaniel bypasses a chip-shot field goal attempt and has Tua hand off to Edmonds again, and he's again stuff, turning the ball over on downs. This is a weird call on so many levels, starting with the idea of turning your back on taking a two-score lead against a team that very clearly is offensively challenged. And then calling for a run with your second-best back when the strength of the offense is the quick passing game made it ever stranger. Forget analytics on this one because those to fail to account for the opponent and look strictly at situations, there's zero justification for not taking a nine-point lead against the Steelers. The Chiefs? Maybe. Not the Steelers.

-- Great job by linebacker Jerome Baker on the ensuing Steelers possession to hang on to Harris and not let him go on a third-and-3 pass that ended up short of the sticks and caused a punt.

-- On the next possession, the Dolphins caught a break when safety Terrell Edmunds dropped an overthrown pass over the middle in Dolphins territory.

-- The Dolphins went three-and-out again the next time they had the ball, the drive ending with Tua coming up 1 yard short on a third-and-8 scramble where for the second time in the game he took on the defender instead of sliding. While we again admire the effort, it's a bad way to do business for Tua. Period.

-- The third quarter ends with the Steelers' one really productive run of the night, a 16-yard scamper by Harris followed by a 3-yard run to the 37.

FOURTH QUARTER

-- In the game on defense because of injuries, special teams ace Clayton Fejedelem comes up with one of the many big defensive plays of the fourth quarter on a third-and-1 from the Steelers 43 when he blitzes from the outside and gets his hand on Harris' ankle as he attempts to leap for the first down.

-- The Dolphins fail to do much offensively on their next drive after Tua completes an outlet pass to Mike Gesicki on third-and-8 that picks up only 4 yards.

-- The defense gets a three-and-out on the ensuing possession when Xavien Howard forces a third-down incompletion against Chase Claypool, though replays show some contact after Claypool gets out of his break, a play that often draws a defensive holding call. But there's no flag, so it goes down as a good play by X.

-- The Dolphins get a first down on their next drive, then decide to take a shot deep downfield on third-and-3 from their 43 and Tua underthrows Tyreek Hill after he got behind the Pittsburgh secondary. That forces Hill to adjust his route to turn inside and the pass is broken up.

-- Pittsburgh then moves from its 18 to the Dolphins 15 as we arrives at one of the key moments of the game. The Steelers are facing a third-and-1 when they have Pickett run a sneak, but they get flagged for an illegal shift. On third-and-6, Pickett scrambles for 5 yards, but this time there's a holding call and now it's third-and-16, setting the stage for Jevon Holland's big moment.

-- There's a reason the Steelers don't throw the ball downfield very often, and it shows up here as Holland reads Pickett and jumps his pass inside the Dolphins 20 to make the pick. His return to the Steelers 49 with 2:57 left seems to seal the win for Miami.

-- The Dolphins offense fails to get the necessary first down after two Mostert runs and an off-target pass by Tua on third down, and the only thing accomplished on the drive is forcing Pittsburgh to use its final two timeouts. Still, with the Steelers getting the ball back with 2:31 left, this is a failure by the offense.

-- Good hustle by Christian Wilkins and Phillips creates a sack when they tackle Pickett from behind for no gain as he scrambles.

-- The Dolphins have a chance to clinch the win on a fourth-and-6 from the Pittsburgh 32, but Pickett responds with his best pass of the night, a 21-yard hook-up with tight end Pat Freiermuth down the middle. Safety Eric Rowe has good coverage on the play, but never turns to locate the ball.

-- The Steelers eventually get to the Miami 25 with 25 seconds left, but on second-and-2, Noah Igbinoghene clinches the win with his first career interception when Pickett decides to throw for the end zone instead of scrambling down the left sideline with open field ahead of him. Pickett explains after the game there was a mix-up in that he thought Diontae Johnson would move back toward him in the end zone, which made it look like a pass intended for Igbinoghene, who deserves props for his ability to get both feet down before his momentum carries him out of bounds.

-- And with that, the Dolphins secure their fourth win of the season, a win that won't score many style points, a win they maybe were lucky to pull out.

-- But a win is a win, and this one was much-needed.

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