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The 2022 regular season is full swing, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the Miami Dolphins in Week 7. While the Steelers get ready for their latest road game of the season, it is time for the BTSC staff to put on their prognostication hats and guess the winner of the contest.
Who will get closest? We will be keeping tabs, so let’s get the picks. Check out the staff picks below:
Jeff Hartman
Sunday night in Miami will be full of interesting storylines and angles. The Dolphins celebrating the 50th anniversary of the undefeated 1972 team, Tua’s return to the lineup, Brian Flores and Minkah Fitzpatrick’s return to Miami...narratives abound. But that doesn’t actually impact the play on the field. When you look at these two teams, some assume Tua will revitalize the offense back to its high-powered nature right away. That might not be the case after two weeks off with a concussion. Meanwhile, the Steelers might have found something last week in their win over the Buccaneers. I like the Steelers to stack wins, and Kenny Pickett to have his first “moment” in the NFL on the way to his first road win.
Pick: Steelers 27, Dolphins 24
Dave Schofield
The Steelers might have the record that I expected them to through six games, but they haven’t won the games I predicted. This was one I thought they could win in prime time, but it’s a whole different scenario than what I thought when the schedule was released. Either way, it’s time for this team to start stacking wins. With a number of players returning this week, I hope that provides even more of a spark and not a letdown. For this one, I’m going with the best-case scenario.
Pick: Steelers 26, Dolphins 18
Bryan Anthony Davis
I actually think the Steelers could win this game, but I need to channel my inner-opposite George Costanza and do the opposite of my instincts. I don’t care about being right, I only care about happiness. So whether I believe that our beloved Men of Steel are going to triumph or not, I can’t with good conscience predict them to win.
Pick: Dolphins 27, Steelers 24
K.T. Smith
The Steelers have been dreadful against the AFC East so far this season, losing winnable games at home to the Patriots and Jets and getting annihilated at Buffalo. But they’ve won four of their last five games in Miami, where they play on Sunday night. Which trend will hold?
It’s hard to know. This team has looked pretty good at times and putrid at others. In all likelihood, it will come down to two things: coaching and quarterback play. That’s what got them over the hump against Tampa last weekend, and what has doomed them in previous games. I like the advantage they will have with Brian Flores scheming against his old team, and if Kenny Pickett struggles returning from his concussion, Mitch Trubisky showed last week he can come in cold and make things happen. Give me the Steelers in a nail-biter.
Pick: Steelers 20, Dolphins 17
Geoffrey Benedict
The return of Tua Tagovailoa is bad news for a Steelers team looking to get back into a more competitive spot in the standings. The Steelers can handle one super fast receiver, but the Dolphins have two. The offense continues to be poor and this one stays close enough to remind us how much better this team could be with T.J. Watt.
Pick: Dolphins 24, Steelers 18
Rich Schofield (Big Bro Scho)
With Tua Tagovailoa returning for the Dolphins this week I thought about changing my prediction from the Scho Bro Show. I then started to wonder if Tua will be rusty at all, or could timing be different with receivers. Will the thought of his injury be in his head at all? National audience with all the talk of his last time on the field. There is the chance that there could be more “issues” playing into the Dolphin’s QB head than just the Steeler defense. Tomlin usually does a good job getting his team ready to play in prime time, and the defense gets a lot of pieces returning this week. It will be a close game, but the Steelers find a way to pull it out.
Pick: Steelers 26, Dolphins 24
Shannon White
The Dolphins defense is short on star power, but long on creativity. They have been involved in numerous shootouts, even in their early season winning streak. If the Steelers offensive line can communicate well enough to handle the Dolphins elaborate pass rush, Kenny Pickett has the weapons needed to move the football and put points on the scoreboard. The Dolphins running game doesn't scare me, but their speed at wide receiver definitely does. The Steelers have to find ways to limit the Dolphins speedster's yards after the catch damage, especially across the middle. I will stick with my prediction from our Know Your Enemy podcast on Wednesday night.
Pick: Steelers 23, Dolphins 20
Jeremy Betz
The Steelers pass rush finally showed up without TJ Watt against Tampa Bay last week, and that was the biggest reason Pittsburgh flummoxed the normally unflappable Brady. Can that continue this week against a Miami OL that can be had?
Also, the return of Tua Tagoaviloa could be a spark for the Dolphins, or it could be we see a rusty QB who needs some time to get back into form. Here’s hoping it’s the latter and the Steelers squeak out a sloppy, low-scoring game. I think they have a shot.
Pick: Steelers 23, Dolphins 20
Bradley Locker
Well, the Steelers won’t just roll over and perish just yet. Major credit goes to Teryl Austin and Brian Flores for concocting a tremendous game plan against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers last week. Then again, Tampa’s offense looked totally out of sort due to its own woes — and the margin of error for Pittsburgh becomes that much thinner against the high-flying Dolphins. The Steelers probably will be within striking distance at multiple points on Sunday night, but the comeback of Tua Tagoaviloa and the speed over the middle of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be too much to emerge victorious.
Pick: Dolphins 28, Steelers 13
Kyle Chrise (What Yinz Talkin’ Bout)
Spooky season is in full effect, and Mike Tomlin is the NFL’s Michael Myers: he will never go away. The staff had this defense prepared to stop Tom Brady, so I’m expecting some of the same against Tua.
Pick: Steelers 17, Dolphins 16
Anthony Defeo
This is the kind of game the Steelers normally win. I have no science to back that up, but I do have a weird feeling that they might put on an impressive performance--their first in many moons--in primetime.
Pick: Steelers 24, Dolphins 17
What is your prediction? Let us know in the comment section below, and feel free to tell the contributors above why they are dead wrong, or spot on!
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