Raheem Mostert scored a touchdown, Jason Sanders had three field goals, and the Miami Dolphins marked the return of Tua Tagovailoa by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-10 in Sunday night’s game.
Miami (4-3) thus put an end to the bleeding, after having suffered defeat in its three previous meetings.
Tagavailoa was behind center for the first time since suffering a concussion against the Cincnnati Bengals on Sept. 29.
The left-handed quarterback had a satisfying outing, completing 21 passes for 261 passing yards. He joined Mostert on eight yards for the first touchdown of the matchup.
Tagovailoa, however, came very close to being the victim of an interception, and this at least three times.
Mistreated 13-0 in the score in the first quarter, the Steelers (2-5) gradually made their return to the game, thanks in particular to a superb touchdown between two rookies, from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens.
In the third quarter, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel opted out of letting Jason Sanders attempt his fourth field goal of the game, which could have given his team a two-touchdown lead.
On fourth down and three yards to go, Chase Edmonds was stopped at the Steelers 13 line.
This choice of coach could have cost his team dearly, since the Dolphins had to punt on their next five possessions. Miami’s defense, however, had two interceptions off Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett in the final moments of the duel to confirm the victory.
Pickett, however, was the victim of a costly interception with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, as Pittsburgh threatened inside the Dolphins 30 line.
The 20th overall pick in the last NFL Draft got one last chance to play heroes, but having generated a few first downs, Pickett was intercepted again, this time as he went all out while aiming the end zone.
Forced to throw frequently due to the backlog, Pickett attempted 44 passes. He completed 32 for 257 yards and a touchdown.
The matchup marked Brian Flores’ first return to Miami since being fired last January.
Flores filed a lawsuit a few weeks later against the NFL, the Dolphins and two other teams for hiring practices he considered racist.
The 41-year-old coach has since been named senior assistant to Mike Tomlin, and is assigned to linebacker for the Steelers.
From Pickett to Pickens for a magnificent touchdown