The Dolphins travel to Pittsburgh for a Monday night clash against the Steelers. With a forecast that calls for below-freezing temperatures, the Dolphins will look to continue a brand of football steeped in smashmouth offense and dominant defense.
It won't be an easy test against a talented and well-coached Pittsburgh team that has won 22 consecutive home games on Monday Night Football.
Identity fit for the elements
Head Coach Mike McDaniel – "The bottom line is if you can run the ball and control the game by possessing the ball and not risking a takeaway, you'd do it week-in, week-out. It's never a finished product but what you're seeing is talented guys that have really bought in and have gotten really good at what we're asking them to do. I think what you're seeing is an accumulation of so many deliberate hours. You don't just all of a sudden wake up and want to. This is something that guys have worked tirelessly from coaching it to individual."
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa - "I think when you can run the ball at will, you can kind of feel that a little earlier than just the third quarter. I think for a defense when an offense can just run inside zone, outside zone, counter, duo and it's at will, I think that's demoralizing for defensive players. Outside of that, I think it opens up a lot of the games where we can run keepers, where we can run play action and whatnot off of those."
Offensive Lineman Jonah Savaiinaea on four-straight games with 150+ rushing yards – "That's our dream, that's our goal every Sundays, every Mondays. It happens during the week when we practice, and that includes all 11 guys on the offense. It's not just us five but at the same time, it comes from our leaders, leaders in the offensive room. They're always pushing us, the coaches as well, they're always pushing us and making sure that our standard is being presented on the field. Us o-line, we love hearing that, so we've got to keep going."
Defensive dominance
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick – "I think just playing all-around high-level football. I don't think we're relying on one or two guys to make a whole bunch of splash plays. What we are relying on is playing technically sound, fundamentally sound football across all 11 guys out there on the field. Over the last month and a half, we've really been stressing just doing your job, being in the right position and the plays will come."
Linebacker Tyrel Dodson – "I think the coaches are doing a great job. It's not necessarily about the plays or information; it's about us executing and playing as one. I think we're playing as one more. There's no perfect call. You call Cover 2, Cover 3, you've still got to go out there and play. There's no perfect call. The guys, we're coming to work and we're making plays that we're supposed to be making."
Pittsburgh primetime lights
Outside linebacker Chop Robinson - "I'm excited. It's close to home, close to where I played college football so it's just another opportunity for us to go out there and showcase who we've been and just take it one game at a time. I'm excited to be especially at Pittsburgh's stadium, I know there's a lot of history and everything like that so I'm excited to be out there."
McDaniel – "We're going to have to put a good work week together to go battle that team to try to get in the victory column, I know that for sure. I've played them multiple times and it's always been that same story; you have to go earn a win, it will not be handed to you."
For more on Dolphins-Steelers, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
