Dolphins Offense Set to Face Hurting Steelers Defense

The Miami Dolphins might face the Pittsburgh Steelers without one of their best players Monday night.

The Steelers announced that edge rusher T.J. Watt was hospitalized with a lung issue Thursday. Watt suffered the injury at the team’s facility on Wednesday and has been in the hospital ever since. His official status for the game on Monday is “in question.”

Update on #Steelers LB T.J. Watt: pic.twitter.com/ngNBnwhBAK
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 11, 2025

Of course, the most important thing here is Watt’s health. Lung injuries can be scary, and spending time in the hospital isn’t ideal.

If Watt can’t play against the Dolphins, it would be a massive blow to a Steelers defense that has struggled for most of the season.

The Pittsburgh Defense Relies on Watt

Watt is having a somewhat down year by his lofty standards, but one look at his stat line shows just how productive he still is for the Steelers.

He leads the team in sacks with 7.5 and has 10 tackles for loss, seven passes defended, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Watt stuffs the stat sheet and can impact the game beyond just getting to the passer.

However, even with Watt in the lineup, the Pittsburgh defense hasn’t done much to inspire confidence this season. In fact, the unit might not have a single strength outside of name recognition and the pass rush.

Pittsburgh is 28th in total yards allowed, 21st in rush yards allowed, and 28th in passing yards allowed. However, the unit is ninth in total QB pressures and tied for sixth in sacks. Watt, along with Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, is the primary reason for that.

Despite those numbers, the Steelers haven’t really stopped anyone this season. Pittsburgh’s only two good defense performances of the season against winning teams came against the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.

In those games, the Steelers forced five turnovers — Four fumbles and one interception vs. New England, and two fumbles and three interceptions against the Colts.

Sure, Pittsburgh only allowed 22 points to the Baltimore Ravens last week, but the Ravens had 420 total yards of offense, including 217 on the ground. Baltimore had a touchdown taken off the board due to a questionable officiating call, and Lamar Jackson did throw an INT.

Without Watt, the Steelers’ only potential trump card on defense will be shorthanded against a Dolphins’ offense that matches up pretty well against them.

What This Means for Dolphins Offense

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Dolphins have become a high-powered rushing offense. Regardless of De’Von Achane’s status this week, there’s no reason the Dolphins can’t run the ball against Pittsburgh.

While Watt’s injury is certainly a significant factor, there’s perhaps a different player who matters more for the run defense. Rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon has missed the last two games, and the difference in the team’s run defense without him stands out.

In Harmon’s nine games, Pittsburgh is only allowing an average of 96 rushing yards. In the team’s four games without Harmon, the Steelers’ average balloons to 191 yards per game.

Harmon has a chance to play against Miami, according to coach Mike Tomlin, but his status is still uncertain.

If Harmon and Watt are out, the Dolphins should be capable of running right through the Steelers’ defense with little resistance.

As for pass protection, Miami will still need to deal with Herbig and Highsmith. However, the Dolphins have done an excellent job limiting pressure this season. Miami has the second-lowest PFF Pressure Rate allowed this year, behind only the Steelers.

That is a testament to the offensive line and to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's continued ability to get the ball out of his hands quickly.

So, to recap: Pittsburgh’s defense isn’t good, it might be missing two of its better players (Watt, Harmon), and Miami is set up nicely to handle the Steelers’ biggest remaining strength.

If the Dolphins don't turn the ball over at an alarming rate, as the Colts and Patriots did, it seems like it’ll be hard for the Steelers to stop them.

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