After an intense Sunday packed with some incredible football games, we have reached the Monday Night Finale. The winless Miami Dolphins travel to Heinz Field to take on the 2-4 Steelers. It is easy to see that the Dolphins viewed the 2019 season as a rebuilding year, as management shipped out a number of their best players at the beginning of the year. One of which players was DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was dealt to the Steelers in exchange for a 1st round pick in 2020. Let’s call it the Minkah Fitzpatrick revenge game, because why not? The Steelers have been a .500 ball club since the arrival of Fitzpatrick, and with Ben Roethlisberger out for the season, the Dolphins may have just fleeced them with this deal.
The Dolphins sent another player packing today, as running back Kenyan Drake is heading to the Arizona Cardinals for a 5th round pick in 2020. The Miami backfield will now comprise of Mark Walton and Kalen Ballage.
The opening line in Vegas has the Steelers as heavy home favorites, with a spread of -14. The Dolphins are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 appearances on Monday Night, and with one of the worst defenses in the league, the Steelers should be able to produce points. Both offenses have struggled heavily this year, as they both rank in the bottom 5 in overall offense as well as passing, but the Miami defense is so depleted that it shouldn’t matter.
Another important story line is the re-addition of Mason Rudolph to the Steelers offense. After replacing an injured Big Ben, Rudolph posted an impressive 7 TDs with only 2 TDs in the three and a half games before being knocked out against the Ravens. With Rudolph back under center, look for the Steelers offense to regain some consistency, while still leaning heavily on their star play maker James Conner out of the backfield.
Prediction: Steelers 30, Dolphins 20
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