Setting the Stage for the Week 15 Dolphins-Steelers Matchup

The Miami Dolphins will look to extend their winning streak to five games and keep some semblance of a playoff hope alive when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Monday night.

Here's all the pertinent info for this Week 15 Dolphins-Steelers matchup.

MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-7) vs. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (7-6)

Date: Monday, December 15, 2025
Time: 8:15 PM ET
Site: Acrisure Stadium; Pittsburgh, Pa.
Weather Channel Forecast: The forecast for Pittsburgh on Monday evening, according to AccuWeather, calls for a temperature of 18-21 partly cloudy skies and very little chance of precipitation. The winds are expected to be about 9 mph with gusts up to 16 mph.
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color analyst), Laura Rutledge (sideline), Lisa Salters (sideline)

DOLPHINS-STEELERS REGULAR SEASON HISTORY

Regular Season Series History: Steelers lead 13-12

Last Five Meetings:

October 13, 2022 at Miami — Dolphins 16, Steelers 10
October 28, 2019 at Pittsburgh — Steelers 27, Dolphins 14
October 16, 2016 at Miami — Dolphins 30, Steelers 15
December 8, 2013 at Pittsburgh — Dolphins 34, Steelers 28
October 24, 2010 at Miami — Steelers 23, Dolphins 22

Series Superlatives:

Dolphins' Largest Margin of Victory: 24 (1984 at Pittsburgh; Dolphins 31, Steelers 7)
Dolphins' Largest Margin of Defeat: 20 (1989 at Miami; Steelers 34, Dolphins 14)
Highest-Scoring Matchup: 88 points (1988 at Pittsburgh; Steelers 40, Dolphins 24)
Lowest-Scoring Matchup: 3 points (2007 at Pittsburgh; Steelers 3, Dolphins 0)

Connections:

Former Steelers Players with the Dolphins: S Minkah Fitzpatrick
Former Steelers Coaches with the Dolphins: None
Former Dolphins Players with the Steelers: DB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith, S DeShon Elliott (IR)
Former Dolphins Coaches with the Steelers: DB coach Gerald Alexander, offensive assistant Matt Baker, defensive quality control coach Jason Brooks

STEELERS SCOUTING REPORT

It's been an interesting season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who more often than not haven't looked like a particularly good team to the point where the home fans were booing their anthem "Renegade" and doing a "Fire Tomlin" chant just two weeks ago, yet find themselves atop the AFC North Division with a clear path at returning to the playoffs for the fifth time in the past six seasons. The Steelers have been outgained in 10 of their 13 games, but recorded impressive victories against both the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers will be looking Monday night for their first prime-time victory this season after three losses — on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers and at home against the Green Bay Packers. Pittsburgh, which has lost five of eight since starting 4-1, ranks 27th in the NFL in total offense and 28th in total defense.

THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN

What the Steelers do best on defense is get after the quarterback and force turnovers, but the Dophins aren't passing nearly as much lately and Pittsburgh's most impactful defender, T.J. Watt, already has been ruled out because of the bizarre incident that led to him having surgery to repair a lung. The Dolphins have rushed for 160 or more yards four consecutive games, while the Steelers allowed more than 200 in each of their past two games.

THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL LOSE

It's simple too easy to say the Dolphins will lose because they don't play well in December against winning teams or in the cold, both of which will be in play in this game. Tangibly, the biggest reason for concern just might be 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had two strong performances against the Dolphins last season as a member of the lowly New York Jets.

FINAL DOLPHINS-STEELERS PREDICTION

While it's Pittsburgh that has the better record coming into this game, it's hard to dispute the idea that the Dolphins are the better team at the moment. The truth is if this game were being played in Miami, the Dolphins would look like clear favorites, but it says here the new formula the Dolphins have adopted of focusing and sticking with the running game will pay dividends in these circumstances. And the surging defense ultimately will make the difference in a key win for the Dolphins that won't do much for their playoff hopes (because those are pretty much shot) but could go a long way toward helping Mike McDaniel retain his job.