Jan 2, 2017 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Moments after the Steelers secured their 27-24 overtime victory over the Cleveland Browns in their regular season finale Sunday, Stephon Tuitt got down on one knee and proposed to his longtime girlfriend on the field.

She said yes, promising to marry the Steelers’ third-year defensive end.

Monday, Tuitt made a promise of his own, saying there was no doubt he was playing next Sunday when the Steelers (11-5) host the Miami Dolphins (10-6) in an AFC Wild Card playoff game at 1 p.m. at Heinz Field.

“I’m playing this week,” said Tuitt, who missed the Steelers’ final two regular season games with a sprain knee. “I’m not worried about it. I could jump up and touch the ceiling if I wanted to.”

The Steelers won’t ask him to do that, nor is his new fiancé likely to do so. What Pittsburgh will want is for Tuitt to return to help shore up a run defense that has been leaky the past two weeks without him on the field.

After allowing 127 yards rushing in a 35-30 loss to Dallas Nov. 13, a game in which defensive end Cameron Heyward was lost for the season to a torn pectoral muscle, the Steelers gave up an average of 64.5 yards rushing over their next five games, all wins.

Tuitt suffered a sprained knee early in a win at Cincinnati Dec. 18 and playing without both of their starting defensive ends the past two weeks, Pittsburgh allowed 122 yards on the ground to the Ravens and 232 against the Browns, an average of 177 per game.

Veteran Ricardo Mathews also has missed significant time the past two games with an ankle injury, leaving second-year defensive end L.T. Walton and Johnny Maxie to handle most of the defensive end snaps.

But to Tuitt, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“Guys are getting more experience,” he said. “The last two games I wasn’t able to play, more guys got more chances and snaps to play, giving them more confidence. That is the good thing. We grow as individuals, as a team, and we had to step up together and make plays to go on the streak we did.”

The Steelers enter the playoffs riding a seven-game winning streak that helped them pull out of a four-game mid-season tailspin that saw them sink to 4-5. That streak began with a 30-15 loss at Miami in a game in which Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi ran for 204 yards.

Heyward didn’t play in that game, either, missing his first career game, but Tuitt doesn’t want to use that as an excuse.

“I was in that game,” said Tuitt. “I am still salty about that game. It’s going to be a physical football game because I am not happy about that.”

After Heyward went down for the season against Dallas, the Steelers began using Tuitt as a chess piece along the line of scrimmage, moving him all over to keep opponents from zeroing in on where he’s lining up.

His teammates will be happy to get that 6-6, 303-pound piece back in the lineup.

“We’ve got some healthy guys coming back,” said linebacker Lawrence Timmons. “We have to remember, it’s about us. We have got get ourselves together before we worry about other people.

“We’ve got to play our scheme. It’s not about them. It’s about us playing our scheme perfectly.”

The Steelers didn’t do that against the Dolphins the first time.

And Miami happened to get healthy at the right time for that game, as well. Left tackle Branden Albert and left guard Laremy Tunsil had both missed time before the Dolphins hosted the Steelers but made their returns against Pittsburgh.

This time around, however, Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey is out for the Dolphins. Kraig Urbik, a former Steelers draft pick, will start at center in his place.

The Steelers, as Tuitt mentioned, are still smarting from allowing Ajayi to have a big game against them, however.

“They have a great offensive line. They have guys that are willing to hit you,” said Tuitt. “They have a running back who is ready to hit the hole. Going against offensive linemen like that, we are going to have to come with our A game, be physical, stop the gaps and stop a runner like (Ajayi) who lives to run up the field.”

The Steelers opened as 8-point favorites and it quickly rose to 10 points. … The Steelers are 1-2 against the Dolphins in the postseason. … If the Steelers win this week, they will play at Kansas City Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. … The Steelers are 6-3 all-time against the Dolphins in Pittsburgh.