Miami Dolphins: 3 Bold predictions vs. Steelers, Week 8

The winless Miami Dolphins go on the road to try and stun the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. Bold predictions for the Fins in Week 8.

The Miami Dolphins have been what we expected them to be this season: a disaster. After completely gutting their roster and eyeing a massive overhaul and rebuild, the Dolphins have started the season at 0-6, improving their chances of getting the No. 1 overall pick. To cap off Week 8, they now head to Heinz Field on Monday Night Football to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite how bad things have been in Miami, they are coming off of a strong showing against the Bills last week. They only lost by 10 points in the matchup with an AFC East foe in a game that was actually much closer than that. As Brian Flores’ team comes on the road to face Mason Rudolph in his return to the helm of the Steelers offense, they have to be feeling good about being competitive.

But what does that mean for a roster that is heavily depleted of talent? Let’s examine that as we make three bold predictions for the Dolphins in this Week 8 matchup.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

3. FitzMagic comes to Pittsburgh

In a loss to Buffalo last week, Ryan Fitzpatrick showed a bit of the FitzMagic that he’s famous for. The veteran quarterback had by far his best game of the season against a Bills defense that many people respect. Fitzpatrick threw for 282 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 23-of-35 passing. Now, against the Steelers defense that has been friendly to the pass, he’ll better it.

Though the Steelers should be able to get pressure on Fitzpatrick, the veteran will make plays to get the ball out quickly and pick on an unimpressive secondary. The result will be a 300-yard outing for the signal-caller that will ultimately keep the Dolphins closer than many people might expect them to be at Heinz Field.

2. Walton, Williams have career nights

Two of the few bright spots in the Dolphins offense this season have been running back Mark Walton and wide receiver Preston Williams. The former has done well on the ground, taking 30 carries for 137 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the undrafted rookie wideout leads the team with 23 catches for 314 yards.

In Week 8, though Pittsburgh may appear the better team, I expect Miami to show some fight against a Steelers defense that is, frankly, not that good. That means that both Walton and Williams will both have true breakout games with Walton rushing for at least 80 yards and a score (especially with Kenyan Drake no longer in the picture) and with Williams topping 100 yards for the first time in his career.

1. Dolphins win

Many people would argue that the Miami Dolphins are trying to lose games right now — not the players on the field but the front office has assembled a roster almost incapable of winning. Having said that, they should have a bit of extra motivation to get the win on Monday Night Football.

Due to the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, the Dolphins own the Steelers first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Subsequently, a Pittsburgh loss would greatly benefit the rebuild in Miami. Moreover, the Fins don’t need to go 0-16 to secure their own No. 1 pick. A win vs. Pittsburgh and losing later in a matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals should do the trick. Thus, they come out and build off a strong showing against Buffalo last week and secure their first victory of the 2019 season.