Dolphins face Steelers machine Monday night

0-10 team tries to knock off AFC favorite

By Mario Sarmento
SPORTS EDITOR

The Miami Dolphins hung tough against the Philadelphia Eagles in John Beck’s first start last week, knocking quarterback Donovan McNabb out of the game and taking a 7-0 lead on Ted Ginn’s 87-yard punt return, but too much Brian Westbrook translated into a 17-7 loss.

Now, the 0-10 Fins have an even tougher challenge, on the road against the 7-3 Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the top teams in the AFC.

Beck was largely ineffective against the Eagles and looked every bit the rookie, completing just 9-of-22 passes for 109 yards, but he didn’t throw an interception.
Ginn has started to come on of late and is emerging as the top receiving option, tallying four catches for 52 yards against Philadelphia.

But the running game, so effective in losses to Buffalo and the New York Giants, was corralled by the Eagles Sunday, as Jesse Chatman gained just 72 yards on 22 carries.
The defense wore down as a result of a heavy dose of Brian Westbrook, who battered the Fins for 148 rushing yards on a season-high 32 carries.

One bright spot was Jason Allen, who recorded the first two interceptions of his career and finally started to show some glimpses after being drafted 16th overall last year.
The problem is, the Dolphins will be facing one of the most intimidating defenses in the game in Pittsburgh, one that’s likely to be angrier after inexplicably dropping a 19-16 overtime decision to the lowly New York Jets.

The Steelers are No. 1 across the board in the NFL in defense: first against the run (72 ypg), against the pass (1574 ypg), total defense (229.4 ypg) and scoring (14.0 points per game).

Couple that with an explosive offense (fifth in points scored and second in rushing) and factor in the home field advantage, and it’s tough to see the Dolphins doing anything significant, regardless of Ricky Williams’ return or if Zach Thomas returns after missing three games.

Prediction: Steelers 28, Dolphins 3.