Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Sunday’s 30-24 win and a season-ending three-game winning streak don’t change the fact that the Steelers didn’t deserve to go to the playoffs.
DeShea Townsend got the first interception of the season by a Steelers cornerback in the second quarter.
Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley had two sacks on Sunday and 11.5 sacks over the final eight games of the season.
The Steelers ran for a season-high 202 yards, with running backs Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker each gaining more than 90.
Said Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, “If this was the last one, I’d rather we go out with a win than a loss. There’s not much that we can do, but I’m proud of the way we fought today and we played hard.”
Dolphins QB Tyler Thigpen came on in relief of the injured Chad Henne and Pat White to lead two scoring drives, but threw two interceptions to end the comeback effort.
Said Dolphins LB Jason Taylor of watching White go down with a head injury, “You see a guy laying there stiff and not moving, and you can’t really do anything to help him. It’s a bad feeling.”
The Dolphins allowed more than half of the Steelers’ 403 total yards on just six plays.
A host of first and second-year players played big roles for the Dolphins, raising hopes for next year even as the season ended on a negative note.
Dolphins T Vernon Carey will have knee surgery to repair an injury that’s hampered him for much of the season.