On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost 34-28 to the Miami Dolphins and below is my list of winners and losers from the game. Feel free to add your own in the comments below.
Winners:
Cameron Heyward – Heyward was a big kid playing with the little kids in the snow on Sunday and he led the Steelers with 10 total tackles to go along with a sack, a hit and a batted down pass. He is and has been the Steelers best defensive lineman so far this season and his strength was on display against the Dolphins.
Jason Worilds – The Steelers made a smart decision in letting Worilds stay on the left side even with LaMarr Woodley returning to the lineup. He rewarded them with eight total tackles, two sacks, two hits and a few pressures. Sure, one of those sacks was a gimme, but that wasn’t his fault. Worilds now has seven sacks in the last six games and his free agency meter has been running wide open for several weeks now.
Jonathan Dwyer – Dwyer didn’t see the field much, but he made the most of his limited playing time. He converted two third downs on the ground and had a great cut block on a long completion to Heath Miller early in the second half.
Ben Roethlisberger – Roethlisberger’s 349 yards passing and three touchdowns should have been enough to win the game. Considering the conditions, I thought it was a solid performance.
Losers:
Cortez Allen – Allen allowed Dolphins tight end Charles Clay to beat him down the sideline for a double explosive play that led to a touchdown. If that wasn’t enough, Allen’s poor tackle attempt on Clay late in the game also resulted in a touchdown.
Troy Polamalu – Sure, Polamalu’s pick-6 was a huge game changer, but so too were his two key missed tackles and poor run fill on the long run by Daniel Thomas. Polamalu only registered one tackle in the game and instead of making sure of the tackle that Allen first missed, he went for the strip unsuccessfully. If he and Allen make that tackle, perhaps the Dolphins settle for a field goal.
Will Allen – Allen missed several tackles in the game and he also lost contain on the long scamper by Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Marcus Gilbert – Gilbert allowed two and a half of the three sacks in the game and a few more pressures to boot. To add insult to injury, he also had a holding call against him in the second quarter that effectively killed the drive.
