The AFC showdown at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will close down Week 8 of the 2019 NFL season. The winless Miami Dolphins take on the 2-4 Pittsburgh Steelers in the clash that should be a one-way street.
The Steelers are 14-point favorites at the moment and shouldn’t have any problems to beat the hapless Dolphins. Nobody wants to finish the season with 16 losses, but the Dolphins won’t argue if they get No. 1 pick at the next NFL draft.
Miami will be without RB Kenyan Drake who’ll be traded away on Tuesday. Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the starting nod under center, and this will be his seventh start against Pittsburgh over the last 12 years. He went 0-6 straight up in that span.
Fitzpatrick tossed for 282 yards, a touchdown, and a pick in a 31-21 loss at Buffalo in Week 7. He leads the worst offense in football. The Dolphins are tallying 10.5 points per game (32nd in the NFL) on 258.7 total yards (31st). They reached the red zone only 12 times (31st) and have 29.9% of 3rd down conversion (28th).
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Furthermore, the Dolphins’ ground game is the 3rd-worst in the NFL with 66.7 yards per outing. Without Drake, they could be even worse.
On the other side of the ball, the Dolphins have been dreadful, too. They are surrendering 35.2 points per game (32nd) on 417.3 total yards (30th). Miami’s run defense is the second-worst in football, allowing 160.8 yards per contest.
While the Dolphins are struggling mightily, the Steelers are coming fresh off a bye, looking for their second straight victory. After three straight losses at the start of the season, the Steelers have won two of their previous three outings.
They routed Cincinnati 27-3 at home and lost to Baltimore 26-23 in overtime. Two weeks ago, the Steelers upset the Chargers 24-17 in Los Angeles, although they had to start the third-string QB Devlin Hodges.
Mason Rudolph should be back in the lineup after clearing the concussion protocol. Since Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending injury in Week 2, Rudolph has tossed for 646 yards, seven touchdowns, and a couple of picks. He’s completed 67.0% of his passing attempts.
However, the Steelers’ main offensive weapon against the Dolphins will be RB James Conner. He has 74 carries for 235 yards and three touchdowns, adding 26 receptions for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Likewise, it seems the Steelers can finally rely on their defense. They are yielding 21.8 points per game (15th in the NFL) on 354.3 total yards (19th), but over their last three games, the Steelers’ D looked pretty good.
Dolphins at Steelers – Betting Trends
The Dolphins are 2-6 SU and 4-4 ATS in their last eight meetings with the Steelers. They are 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS in the previous five visits to Heinz Field. Miami is 2-4 ATS on the season and 1-14 SU and 3-12 ATS in the previous 15 showings on the road.
Likewise, the Dolphins are only 0-6 SU and 1-5 ATS in their last six outings as double-digit underdogs. Also, they are 0-5 SU and ATS in the previous five road encounters with the AFC North.
On the other side, the Steelers are 3-2-1 ATS on the season. They are 6-3 SU and 5-3-1 ATS in the last nine showings at Heinz Field and 6-1 SU and 2-5 ATS in the previous seven outings as double-digit favorites. The under is 13-1 in the last 14 games with Pittsburg as a double-digit fave.
Also, the Steelers are 7-3 SU and ATS in their last ten home matchups with the AFC East, and the under is 8-2 in that stretch. They are 8-3 SU and 5-6 ATS in the previous 11 tilts when coming off a bye.
Dolphins at Steelers – Prop Bets
Considering the Dolphins’ terrible run defense, consider taking James Conner in the over on his rushing yards. Interestingly, Conner still hasn’t surpassed a 70.5-yard line this season. He had 55 rushing yards against Baltimore in Week 5.
Another option is to take Conner at -163 odds to score a TD anytime. Juju Smith-Schuster is set at -125 odds to score. The third-year WR has scored only twice thus far, and he caught only one of his four targets in Week 6. Still, Juju is listed as questionable due to illness.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for three touchdowns and five interceptions so far. However, the price on Ryan to throw a pick is not tempting at all at -260.
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