Steelers flop against Dolphins in Florida
Steelers inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons chases Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi during the second half Sunday. Ajayi rushed for a career-high 204 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
Steelers wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey runs past Dolphins cornerback Byron Maxwell for a first-half touchdown Sunday.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looks to pass after escaping a tackle by Dolphins defensive tackle Jordan Phillips during the first half Sunday.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – They don’t call it road sweet road.
And for the Steelers, that’s been the case early this season.
Miami’s Jay Ajayi rushed for a career-high 204 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries as the Dolphins blasted the Steelers, 30-15, Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The loss was the Steelers’ second by double digits in three road games and dropped Pittsburgh’s record to 4-2.
After winning in Washington to open the season, the Steelers have been outscored in their last two road games, 64-18.
“(There’s) nothing different on the road, we just have got to be in a rhythm,” said guard Ramon Foster. “We can’t have three-and-outs. We can’t be a sub-par offense. We’ve got to make sure we’re making our plays.”
The Steelers didn’t do that in this game and Miami, after a slow start, did.
Ajayi, who had 117 rushing yards entering the game, was a big part of that. He had 11 carries for 51 yards in the first half as Miami (2-4) took a 16-8 lead, then exploded in the second half, scoring from one-yard out in the third quarter and putting the game away 50 seconds remaining on a 62-yard touchdown run after the Steelers had closed to within 23-15.
“No need to sugarcoat that,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “We got beat soundly. We didn’t take care of the football. We didn’t stop the run, and stopping the run is an emphatic point. A 200-yard running back – it’s not good.”
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was injured midway through the second quarter, tweaking his left knee on a play during which he was intercepted by safety Reshad Jones.
Roethlisberger went to the locker room for the final eight minutes of the second quarter before returning in the second half.
“It actually happened before I threw the ball,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t know how it happened. I just felt something funny in my knee.
“(We) don’t know anything yet. We’ll know tonight. We’ll pray that it’s not something serious.”
Roethlisberger was 19 of 34 for 189 yards with two interceptions and one late touchdown pass to Cobi Hamilton with 1:02 remaining.
The Steelers were outgained 474-297 and the Dolphins held a 36:30-23:30 edge in time of possession.
“We didn’t have a pass rush today. They ran the ball,” said Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones. “There wasn’t any pass rush. They didn’t really throw the ball. They had plays here and there. But they just kept the ball and ran it. They ran the ball down our throat.”
Miami grabbed a 3-0 lead on its opening possession, getting a 30-yard field goal by Andrew Franks.
The Dolphins then attempted a surprise onside kick, which former Canon-McMillan High School standout Mike Hull, a linebacker for Miami, nearly recovered. But Pittsburgh’s Tyler Matakevich fell on the loose ball at midfield.
Referee Ed Hochuli, however, ruled that the officials had not been set for the play and Miami was forced to re-kick.
Pittsburgh, which had punted on its first possession, looked to be headed to doing so again when Roethlisberger was sacked on third down. But Dolphins defensive end Jason Jones was called for unnecessary roughness.
That proved costly as the Steelers ran an end around to Darrius Heyward-Bey on the next play and the wide receiver went 60 yards for a touchdown, running over Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones at the Pittsburgh 47-yard line and outracing the Miami defense down the sideline.
Roethlisberger threw a two-point conversion pass to Le’Veon Bell to give the Steelers an 8-3 lead.
But the Dolphins continually went on long scoring drives, even when they didn’t get touchdowns. They held the ball for more than 12 minutes in the second quarter, adding two more Franks field goals and a one-yard touchdown run from Damien Williams with 21 seconds remaining in the second quarter to grab a 16-8 halftime lead.
“Our running back room wanted to be the best group out there,” said Ajayi.
Miami punted just one time in its first eight possessions, failing to score early in the third quarter when Pittsburgh nose tackle Daniel McCullers blocked a field goal and later in the fourth quarter when Franks missed a 50-yard attempt.
“I won’t take anything away from those guys,” said Foster. “They played a really good game. We’ve got to play better than what we did. Road AFC games, we cannot drop.”
Free safety Mike Mitchell suffered a right knee injury on Miami’s first offensive possession. He made a trip to the locker room but returned to the game. … Heyward-Bey’s 60-yard TD run was the longest by the Steelers since Willie Parker had an 80-yard TD at Cleveland in December of 2005. … Hull made two tackles on special teams, including a stop on the opening kickoff. … Ajayi’s 200-yard rushing game was the first against the Steelers since Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor in 2000. … Heyward-Bey and linebacker Vince Williams each had to leave the game because of cramps. Both returned. … Wide receiver Antonio Brown was limited to four receptions for 39 yards.