NFL | Miami Dolphins vs Pittsburgh Steelers - Oct 24 | 00:20 UTC

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Game info Miami Dolphins x Pittsburgh Steelers

 

On Sunday Night Football of Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season, the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers face off in a showdown within the Conference. The match will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. And the kickoff is scheduled for this Monday, October 24, at 00:20 UTC.

 

How does the NFL work in its 2022 edition?

 

The 2022 season of the National Football League arrives with a bang. After the adoption, for the first time in history in 2021, of a regular season with 17 games for each team and 18 weeks in total (since every team takes a week off), we will have this format again. It is worth remembering that, years ago, each team played 16 games during the qualifying phase, with 17 weeks in total in the season.

 

Traditionally, the NFL is made up of two conferences: the American Conference (AFC) and the National Conference (NFC). Each Conference has four divisions (North, South, East, and West), with four teams each, for a total of 16 teams per Conference. And 32 teams in total in the league.

 

The winners of each division (four per Conference) qualify for the playoffs, totaling eight teams. The top three from each Conference, apart from the division champions, complete the 14 ranked teams. They play in a knockout tournament, the playoffs, and the AFC champion faces the NFC champion in Super Bowl LVII.

 

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins arrive in Week 7 in third place in the AFC East division, with three wins and three losses. After starting the season with three straight wins over the New England Patriots (20-7), Baltimore Ravens (42-38), and Buffalo Bills (21-19), the team is coming off three straight losses to the Cincinnati Bengals (27-15), New York Jets (40 to 17) and Minnesota Vikings (24 to 16).

 

Coincidence or not, the three losses came while starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was out. He left during the duel against the Bengals with a concussion and has not played in recent weeks. And the drop in performance of the Dolphin's attack was visible.

 

In the most recent defeat to the Vikings, even the Dolphins' defensive unit produced well in terms of yards. There were 458 totals, 385 passing, and 73 running. However, the team also committed three turnovers, with two interceptions thrown by backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and a fumble missed by wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

 

Incidentally, Bridgewater hit 23 passes for 34 for 329 yards, two touchdowns, and two INTs in the game. The QB's main targets were wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who had 12 receptions for 177 total yards, and Waddle, with six receptions for 129 yards. Despite that, the two TD receptions were made by tight end Mike Gesicki, who was responsible for six receptions for 69 yards.

 

The good news is that Tagovailoa should return to the starting lineup this Sunday Night Football, which could directly influence Miami's offensive productivity.

 

It is worth remembering that, so far, the Dolphin's offense is the eighth best in the NFL in yards per game, with 366.2 per game, but in terms of points, the offense is in the middle class of the NFL, with 21.8 per game. . However, this average has dropped a lot due to the last three weeks.

 

The Florida franchise's biggest problem has been defense. The unit is the ninth-most receiving yards, with 361.3 per game, and the fifth-most talking points, with 25.8 per the commitment. Therefore, it is essential that the attack comes back well and takes some of the pressure off the back of the defense.

 

Now, coach Mike McDaniel's team will try to show in prime time that with Tagovailoa back, everything will be back on track.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

So far, the Pittsburgh Steelers are not doing well and occupy the bottom of the AFC North division with two wins and four losses. But everything is wide open in a division where the leaders Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, are 3-3 on record.

 

And the Steelers are coming off a win that can motivate anyone. Facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 6, head coach Mike Tomlin's team gave a show of overcoming and beating Tom Brady and company by 20-18. This was a game in which Pittsburgh was a tremendous underdog.

 

The positive result at home ended a four-game losing streak as the team lost to the New England Patriots (17-14), Cleveland Browns (29-17), New York Jets (24-20), and Buffalo Bills (38-3). ) between weeks 2 and 5. The only positive result so far had been a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, in their debut, in an overtime game.

 

And the triumph over the Buccaneers was based on overcoming. And with two quarterbacks. Rookie Kenny Pickett, selected in the first round of the 2022 draft, earned a starter shot and hit 11 18 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown before entering concussion protocol late in the third quarter.

 

Then came Mitch Trubisky, a starter until then this season, and they had an excellent performance coming from the bench. The number 10 connected nine 12-yard passed for 144 yards and threw for a six-yard touchdown caught by Chase Claypool in the final quarter. In this way, he may have again put a flea behind Tomlin's ear. But Pickett, who went through concussion protocol, is expected to be the starter again this Sunday.

 

The victory also came largely on the merits of the defense. Even with a unit with many names with little experience and others unknown, Pittsburgh has shown the defensive DNA that is so much a part of its rich history.

 

The defense, led by defensive coordinator Teryl Austin limited the Brady-led offense to 304 total yards and 18 points. The Tampa Bay star suffered two sacks and only managed to throw a pass to TD, in the last quarter, in a score that ended up not being enough to tie the game, as the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

 

This is how the Steelers arrive at Sunday Night Football: with renewed spirits and trying to show that they can be reborn in a season already looking a little lost.