One team is on the path to the playoffs, the other is done for the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers took down the Miami Dolphins at home 28-15 to reach 8-6, taking control of the AFC North. As for Miami, it entered the game with a 6-7 record following a stretch of five wins in its last six. But the lack of overall quality caught up in a cold atmosphere, something Miami doesn’t have a good record in. Miami will now turn the page to next season as many questions surround head coach Mike McDaniel and QB1 Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins will host the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers next before heading to the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh will duke it out with the Baltimore Ravens for the top spot in the division, which will be analyzed soon. Let’s dive into the Steelers’ win over the Dolphins further with winners and losers: MORE NFL COVERAGE NFL Dec 8 2026 NFL Draft order: Giants hold top pick after Week 15 NFL Dec 1 Super Bowl hangover? How Chiefs compare to other teams that lost championship NFL Dec 14 NFL Week 15 winners and losers: Bills' epic comeback, Chiefs' season ends WINNER: Aaron Rodgers It was a vintage primetime performance by Rodgers in this one. The 42-year-old quarterback threw for 224 yards, two touchdowns and no picks on 23 of 27 completions. His passes were sharp and executed quickly, making sure Miami couldn’t get to him as often. New wideout additions Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling didn’t light up the stat sheet, but the mood was different for Rodgers with them around. Rodgers and MVS, who was bumped to the active roster in the morning, also connected for a score like the old times: LOSER: Urgency With the playoff hopes on life support, Miami just didn’t show enough urgency until the game was out of reach. Up until the fourth quarter, all Miami could show was a field goal in the second quarter. It wasn’t until Pittsburgh took a 28-3 lead that Tagovailoa and Co. finally got going. The Dolphins’ QB1 threw two touchdowns to Darren Waller in the fourth, but both the ensuing two-point tries failed and the final drive just seemed like the offense wanted to go home. Serious evaluation is needed for Miami to take the next step after another disappointing season. WINNER: DK Metcalf Pittsburgh had the game on cruise control, but its offense didn’t exactly make many thrilling plays. It was more simple against a Miami defense that didn’t offer much pushback until it was too late. But there was one standout play from DK Metcalf, who was held to just three catches on three targets for 55 yards and a score. Rodgers found Metcalf for a 28-yard score, with the wideout doing the heavy lifting in impressive fashion: LOSER: Baltimore Ravens The Ravens needed a slip-up from Pittsburgh to stay at the same record, but now things have gotten more challenging with just three weeks left. Pittsburgh has the upper hand at 8-6 to Baltimore’s 7-7 mark following the recent head-to-head outcome that favored Rodgers and Co. Up next for Pittsburgh are the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns on the road before it hosts Baltimore. The Ravens will host the Patriots on Sunday Night Football next and travel to the Green Bay Packers before the Pittsburgh finale. Even if Pittsburgh drops a game at a playoff-chasing Detroit, Baltimore can’t afford a mistake of its own if it wants to make life slightly easier entering Week 18. The race is on … WINNER: Mike Tomlin, Steelers Respect the endings or not, Tomlin just doesn’t experience losing seasons. Pittsburgh’s head coach has faced scrutiny in recent weeks for an aging roster under a Tomlin who doesn’t go far enough often in the playoffs. But it’s a tough dilemma — for devil’s advocate sakes, at least he’s always in the conversation. Tomlin’s streak of never having a losing season is on track, as long as Pittsburgh doesn’t drop all three remaining games. The 3-11 Cleveland Browns will look to make it tough, but that’s a game Rodgers and Co. just shouldn’t lose. If all goes to plan, Tomlin should have the Steelers in the playoffs once again. Whether they can get past the first round for Tomlin to avoid immediate heat is another story. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less