Pittsburgh Steelers vs Miami Dolphins NFL Preview: Team news, betting, tickets, live stream, Fantasy Football and more

Two AFC teams with their eyes firmly on the postseason collide to close out Week 15, as the Miami Dolphins head to Pittsburgh for a high-stakes Monday night showdown with the Steelers. Miami, now 6-7, has caught fire at just the right time, rattling off six consecutive wins and cruising past the Jets 34-10 last time out to thrust themselves back into the playoff picture.

Pittsburgh enters at 7-6 following a gritty 27-22 victory over division rivals Baltimore, a result that has them perched on top of the AFC North heading into the business end of the season. The Steelers will have to navigate the contest without defensive cornerstone T.J. Watt, however, with the star edge rusher sidelined due to a lung injury.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Miami Dolphins kick-off time

NFL

Acrisure Stadium

The Miami Dolphins will clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Monday, December 15, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 pm ET.

Team news & squads

Pittsburgh Steelers team news

Aaron Rodgers appears to be finding a rhythm at the right time. He’s coming off a season-best 284 passing yards and even punched in a rushing touchdown last week, his first on the ground since 2022. Rodgers has historically enjoyed success against Miami, throwing five touchdowns and averaging more than 300 passing yards per game in two meetings last season. 

Volume could once again be the name of the game, especially with Pittsburgh ranking much higher in passing offense than rushing and Miami surrendering over 200 yards through the air per contest. With playoff stakes looming, don’t be surprised if Rodgers is asked to sling it often.

That doesn’t mean the Steelers will abandon the run, though. Jaylen Warren looks poised for a busy night, especially against a Miami run defense that’s among the league’s most vulnerable, allowing nearly 143 rushing yards per game. Warren has cleared 13.5 carries in half of his appearances this season, and even if Pittsburgh isn’t typically run-heavy, exploiting Miami’s soft underbelly on the ground could be part of the blueprint. In a cold, physical matchup with postseason implications, a heavier workload for Warren feels more likely than not.

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Miami Dolphins team news

Miami's defense has quietly found its teeth at just the right moment. Over the past month, the Dolphins have clamped down on opposing offenses, keeping each of their last four opponents to 17 points or fewer while forcing 10 turnovers in that span. On the other side of the ball, Mike McDaniel’s offense continues to lean into a ground game that’s been one of the league’s most efficient, ranking fifth in yards per carry and eighth in rushing yards per game. 

De’Von Achane is tracking toward nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards, and rookie Jaylen Wright added another spark last week with a 107-yard, one-touchdown performance. That balance could loom large against a Pittsburgh defense that looks nothing like the Steel Curtain of old, sitting near the bottom of the league in total yards allowed, pass defense and third-down efficiency.

That said, all eyes will again be on Tua Tagovailoa, whose season has been plagued by costly mistakes. He’s thrown at least one interception in eight games and already has 14 picks on the year, matching the highest total of his career. The recent trend isn’t encouraging either, with four interceptions over his last five outings. Even though Pittsburgh’s pass defense has been porous, the Steelers have made a habit of capitalizing on mistakes, collecting 11 interceptions so far this season. Given Tagovailoa’s form, another turnover feels firmly on the table.

The setting only adds another layer of intrigue. A night game in Pittsburgh with temperatures hovering around 25 degrees plays directly into Miami’s long-standing cold-weather woes. The Dolphins have dropped 13 straight games in sub-40-degree conditions, with Tagovailoa winless in such contests during his career. Now he faces a Steelers defense that has feasted on takeaways, ranking second in the NFL with 23 forced turnovers this season.

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Watch and live stream Steelers vs Dolphins in the USA

The Steelers vs Dolphins game in Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season will be broadcast live on ESPN. If you've cut the cord, fans can catch the coverage onFubo (Try for free today!).

More details on where to watch the game in the United States, including streaming options, will be released soon, so keep an eye out for our dedicated coverage.

Watch and live stream Steelers vs Dolphins worldwide

For fans outside the U.S. looking to stay plugged into the action,NFL Game Pass on DAZN is the ultimate ticket. It serves up more than 200 regular-season and playoff matchups, complete Super Bowl coverage, plus access to NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and plenty more to keep you locked in all year long.

To bypass regional restrictions or to access the game if you are travelling abroad, you can watch the action using a Virtual Private Network like ExpressVPN.

How to buy Steelers vs Dolphins tickets

Tickets are already up for grabs on StubHub, with entry starting at $386. From there, prices climb through the tiers — $300, $400, $500, $600, $700, $800, $900, $1,000, and stretching all the way into the premium ranges of $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $6,000, and topping out at $10,406 for the best seats in the house.

Check the link below for the full breakdown of how to purchase tickets to NFL games.

READ MORE: NFL 2025 Tickets: Prices, deals, season tickets & membership information

Steelers vs Dolphins Fantasy Football

START: Dolphins RB De'Von Achane
The good news is that De'Von Achane is expected to suit up despite dealing with a rib issue picked up against the Jets. The less reassuring part is that we do not yet know how much that injury might limit him. Still, Achane has been a difference-maker all season and likely helped get fantasy managers to this point. This is not the time to second-guess it. Trust the talent, trust the volume, and keep him in your lineup.

SIT: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
As things stand, Monday night in Pittsburgh is projected to be brutally cold, hovering around 19 degrees. That matters for Tua Tagovailoa, who has yet to win a game when temperatures dip below 40 degrees, sitting at 0-5 in those conditions. Miami has already shown a willingness to pivot toward a run-heavy approach, and frigid weather only strengthens that blueprint. Expect the Dolphins to lean even more into the ground game, which caps Tua's fantasy ceiling significantly.

SIT: Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers
The last time Aaron Rodgers saw Miami, he carved them up for 274 yards and four scores while completing nearly two-thirds of his passes. But context matters. Back then, he was throwing to Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson. This time around, his top options include DK Metcalf and a 35-year-old Adam Thielen. That drop-off is hard to ignore, and expecting a repeat performance would be optimistic at best. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere under center.

WAIT & SEE: Steelers Defense
The absence of T.J. Watt, who will miss this game after surgery for a partially collapsed lung, looms large. Losing their premier edge rusher could be devastating, especially against a Miami offense that thrives on the ground. Pittsburgh has already struggled to stop the run, surrendering more rushing first downs than any team in the league. That plays directly into the Dolphins' strengths, even if Achane is not 100 percent.
That said, cold weather has often been Miami's undoing, and Pittsburgh still has proven defenders like Patrick Queen, Cameron Hayward, and Jaylen Ramsey capable of keeping things competitive. The matchup cuts both ways, making this a risky but not unplayable defensive option.

WAIT & SEE: Steelers RB Jaylen Warren
This game has all the makings of a trench battle, which usually favors running backs. Jaylen Warren has shown he can break games open, as evidenced by his 16-carry, 127-yard outburst earlier this season. His biggest edge remains his receiving ability, highlighted by a 38-yard touchdown catch against Baltimore last week.
However, Miami's run defense has steadily improved, and Warren was largely bottled up on the ground in that same Ravens matchup, finishing with just 13 rushing yards. Add in freezing temperatures and a potential grind-it-out script, and Warren may not be the slam-dunk start many managers are used to.

It is also worth noting that Aaron Rodgers surprised many last week. Despite playing with one healthy arm, he delivered his best passing performance of the season with 284 yards. It marked only his third game topping 8.0 yards per attempt and just his second outing with more than 20 fantasy points. While encouraging, it still feels more like an exception than a trend.

From a fantasy perspective, Warren profiles as a dependable but limited RB2 or RB3 in Week 15. Since Week 12, he has shared the workload with Kenneth Gainwell, averaging 13.7 touches and 58 total yards per game. Over that span, Warren has logged a 50.9 percent snap share, a 33 percent route share, and a modest 6.7 percent target share. Near the goal line, the work has been nearly split, with Warren seeing six red-zone carries compared to Gainwell's seven. Stability is there, but true breakout upside may be harder to find in this matchup.

Steelers vs Dolphins Game Predictions

We're backing Miami to spring a surprise and leave Pittsburgh with a statement victory. The Dolphins are riding a four-game surge, a stretch that includes a standout triumph over the Bills, and they’ve managed to keep stacking wins even while navigating a lengthy injury list. Momentum is clearly on their side.

By contrast, the Steelers have stumbled over the past couple of months, dropping five of their last eight outings, and haven’t shown the same level of consistency. With form trending in opposite directions, Miami looks well-positioned to seize the moment.

Prediction: Dolphins edge it 24–20 in a hard-fought upset.

Steelers vs Dolphins Betting Odds

Point spread: Dolphins +3 (-110)

Moneyline: Dolphins +140 | Steelers -166

Form

Head-to-Head Record

PIT

Last 5 matches

MIA

2

Wins

0

Draws

3

Wins

• Miami Dolphins

  16

  -

  10

  Pittsburgh Steelers

• Pittsburgh Steelers

  27

  -

  14

  Miami Dolphins

• Pittsburgh Steelers

  30

  -

  12

  Miami Dolphins

• Miami Dolphins

  30

  -

  15

  Pittsburgh Steelers

• Pittsburgh Steelers

  28

  -

  34

  Miami Dolphins

Useful links

• NFL on TV Today: Schedule, TV Channels, Streaming & Key Matchups
• How to watch and live stream NFL football for free and without cable
• 2025 fantasy football rankings: Running back (RB) | Wide receiver (WR) | Tight end (TE) | Quarterback (QB)