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| MIAMI DOLPHINS (10-6) | WC | PITTSBURGH STEELERS (11-5) |
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| Date: | 8 January 2017 |
Location: | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Time: | 12:05 PM Central | Stadium: | Heinz Field |
| TV: | CBS | Radio: | XM Ch 225 (MIA)/82 (PIT) Sirius Ch 81 (MIA)/82 (PIT) |
| TV Announcers: | Jim Nantz Phil Simms |
Know Thy Foes: |
The Phinsider Behind The Steel Curtain |
| Weather: | 14 degrees, winds from NW at 15 MPH, 10% chance of precip | ||
| Line: | Pittsburgh -12, Over/Under 46 (Thanks to the SB Nation Odds page) | ||
| Chris' Prediction: | Steelers 27, Dolphins 17 | ||
| Final Score: | Steelers 30, Dolphins 12 | ||
After a couple of snoozers in Saturday's playoff action, it's time to conclude Wild Card Weekend in the National Football League. The early contest today takes us to Heinz Field, where the Pittsburgh Steelers, champions of the AFC North, will play host to the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins lost starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill a few weeks ago with a knee injury. There had been speculation that he might be able to play today, but he has officially been ruled out of this one. That means Matt Moore will get the call for a Dolphins team that won three of their final four games, but spent Week 17 getting throttled by the New England Patriots. They had already clinched a playoff berth at that point, so perhaps there isn't too much that can be read into that result.
On the other hand, the Steelers are on a roll. They've won seven consecutive games and haven't been on the losing end of things since falling to the Dallas Cowboys way back on 13 November. Pittsburgh rested their most important offensive players (Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell) in Week 17, so they should be chomping at the bit in this one.
Gotta be honest here, folks. I don't like Miami's chances this afternoon. It's going to be cold, it's going to be windy, and if this comes down to quarterback play, Roethlisberger over Moore is a very easy choice. The Dolphins will likely try to pound away with Jay Ajayi, but the Steelers' defense has been pretty good as of late, so I have a feeling that isn't going to be enough.
If the Steelers win this one, they'll earn a trip to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional playoffs next Sunday afternoon. If the Dolphins win, they get to go to Foxboro for a third matchup with the Patriots next Saturday night.
Enjoy the game, ladies and gentlemen, and we'll have a thread up for the NFC game today approximately 30 minutes before kickoff.