The Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins are in the news recently due to the big blockbuster trade between the two teams on June 30. The two teams will also play each other in Week 15 on Monday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium.
So, I thought it would be a good time to roll out a Flashback Friday between the two teams. Let’s go back to the Monday Night Football matchup in 1996 on Nov. 25 at Pro Player Stadium.
That night, the Steelers found themselves in a big hole on the road. But thanks to some strong defense and a great rushing attack led by Jerome Bettis in his first year with the Steelers, Pittsburgh clawed all the way back to pick up a key win, 24-17, to improve to 9-3 on the season.
Let’s dive in.
The Dolphins started the game red-hot as star quarterback Dan Marino was dialed in early. Miami marched right down the field on the first drive, covering 76 yards in 15 plays. Marino hit wide receiver O.J. McDuffie for a 2-yard touchdown, giving the Dolphins a 7-0 lead.
With just over five minutes left in the first quarter, the Steelers finally got the ball on offense. Led by quarterback Mike Tomczak, the Steelers marched down the field.
Tomczak hit Bettis out of the backfield for a gain of 15 yards and later wide receiver Andre Hastings over the middle for 20 yards, putting the Steelers into Miami territory.
Ultimately, the Steelers drive stalled, leading to a 47-yard field goal from Norm Johnson, making it a 7-3 game late in the first quarter.
From there, things slowed down for the Steelers and Dolphins.
Miami’s next offensive drive stalled, resulting in a punt early in the second quarter. The Steelers took over and mounted a drive again, thanks to a great throw from Tomczak.
Tomczak threaded the needle to wide receiver Yancy Thigpen for a gain of 34 yards and then hit Bettis for 13 yards. But the drive came to a crashing halt a few plays later as Tomczak was sacked and fumbled, leading to a recovery by Miami’s Shane Burton.
On the very next play though, Miami wide receiver Fred Barnett fumbled, leading to a Darren Perry recovery as things took a crazy turn.
The craziness was just starting too. Three plays after Perry’s recovery, Tomczak fired a pass intended for Hastings over the middle, but Miami cornerback Calvin Jackson stepped in front of the throw for the interception and raced 61 yards the other way for the pick-six, giving the Dolphins a 14-3 lead.
Fortunately for the Steelers, they were able to respond quickly to the seemingly game-changing play.
After the Jackson pick-six, Pittsburgh got the ball back and went right down the field. Tomczak fired a dart over the middle to tight end Mark Bruener, who made a juggling catch but was injured on the play. Then, Tomczak found fullback Jon Witman for a gain of 11 yards.
Later, Bettis ran for 13 yards. In a goal-to-go situation, the Steelers brought in backup quarterback Kordell Stewart for a special package, and he rewarded them with a touchdown. He pitched the ball to Tim Lester, who raced around left end for the 5-yard touchdown, making it a 14-10 game.
It was largely all Steelers after that.
The Dolphins missed a field goal on the next drive, and then the Steelers missed a field goal right before the half, sending the two teams into the locker room with Miami up 14-10.
In the third quarter the Steelers took control for good.
The Steelers leaned heavily on Bettis in the ground game, setting up a 38-yard strike from Tomczak to Andre Hastings. That eventually led to a 1-yard touchdown run from Stewart, giving Pittsburgh a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Finally in front for the first time, the Steelers looked to put the game away. They couldn’t quite do that though as the offense couldn’t muster anything on its next drive.
The Dolphins found something offensively again late in the third quarter as Marino hit Barnett for 16 yards and connected with Troy Drayton for 38 yards. The Dolphins had to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Joe Nedney though, tying the game at 17-17.
From that point until midway through the fourth quarter, the two teams played some sloppy football. Bettis fumbled the ball, resulting in a Trace Armstrong recovery. Nedney later missed a field goal, and the two teams traded punts.
Eventually, taking over possession near midfield midway through the fourth quarter, the Steelers got back on track. And they did so by getting on The Bus.
Bettis carried the ball four straight times for 21 yards, helping set up a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tomczak to Ernie Mills for the decisive score.
Heck of a call from offensive coordinator Chan Gailey in that spot, facing a 3rd and 8.
With the 24-17 lead, the Steelers turned up the heat defensively late in the fourth quarter. Though they gave up a 45-yard strike from Marino to Randal Hill to create some hairy moments, the Steelers’ defense stood tall late, forcing a turnover on downs on a 4th-and-1 incompletion from Marino intended for Scott Miller.
That gave the Steelers the ball — and the win.
Bettis ran the ball 27 times for 119 yards, while Tomczak completed 16-of-29 passes for 252 yards one touchdown and one interception. Charles Johnson was the leading receiver for the Black and Gold with five receptions for 60 yards while Hastings added four receptions for 57 yards.
Marino threw for 254 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-37 passing, while Barnett led the Dolphins with eight receptions for 98 yards.
With the win, the Steelers improved to 9-3, eventually finishing 10-6, going 1-3 down the stretch with a win over the San Diego Chargers but losses to the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers.
In the playoffs, Pittsburgh defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 42-14, in the Wild Card round, before falling in the Divisional round to the New England Patriots, 28-3, ending a once-promising season.
