MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. _ Just when it appeared hope was going to be lost for another season the Dolphins flipped the script and offered a glimmer of hope by defeating one of the best teams in the NFL. In what could be classified as a mild stunner, the Dolphins defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-15, Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
And they did it in convincing fashion.
The Dolphins (2-4) rushed for a season-high 222 yards, led by running back Jay Ajayi's career-best 204-yard effort. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (24 of 32, 252 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, 97.4 passer rating) was good, and wide receiver Jarvis Landry (seven receptions, 91 yards) was solid.
And the defense kept Pittsburgh's talent trio of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger 19 of 34, 189 yards, one touchdowns and two interceptions), running back Le'Veon Bell (10 carries, 53 yards) and wide receiver Antonio Brown (four receptions, 39 yards) in check.
The Dolphins' offensive line of center Mike Pouncey, left guard Laremy Tunsil, left tackle Branden Albert, right guard Jermon Bushrod and right tackle Ja'Wuan James played together for the first time all year and kept quarterback Tannehill from getting sacked, a rare feat.
Meanwhile its defense produced two interceptions (one by safety Reshad Jones, the other by safety Isa Abdul-Quddus), two sacks and briefly knocked Roethlisberger out of the game with a left knee injury.
Basically, this was the day coach Adam Gase thought would be coming for a long time.
The offense recorded season bests in points and rushing yards, and the defense keep the NFL's sixth-best scoring offense (27.8 points per game) to almost half of its season average.
This came after a week in which Gase released three under-performing offensive linemen _ Billy Turner, Dallas Thomas and Jamil Douglas _ and made a couple of lineup tweaks.
Defensive end Cam Wake started and played on first- and second-downs, which goes against the stated goal of using him exclusively as a third-down pass rusher. Defensive end Mario Williams, previously a starter, played sparingly.
Running back Arian Foster, who missed the previous three games with hamstring and groin injuries, didn't start and also played sparingly.
Pittsburgh tried to make it a game late, scoring on a 23-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Ben Hamilton. But the Dolphins recovered the onside kick and the next play Ajayi went 62 yards for his second touchdown of the game and the one that iced the victory.
The Dolphins took a 23-8 lead in the third quarter after Abdul-Quddus' interception. Ajayi scored on a 1-yard touchdown, his second of the season, to cap the six-play, 52-yard drive.
The Dolphins had a 16-8 halftime lead despite a few miscues.
The Dolphins lost two touchdowns in the first half. The first happened when wide receiver DeVante Parker (five receptions, 28 yards) dropped a would-be touchdown reception in the end zone. The ball hit Parker in the hands before he took a big hit.
The Dolphins settled for a 30-yard field goal by kicker Andrew Franks that gave them a 3-0 lead. It was the second time the Dolphins scored first this season, joining the Cleveland game.
The second lost touchdown came in the second quarter when Tannehill hit tight end Dominique Jones on a touchdown pass. But James was called for an illegal formation because he wasn't on the line of scrimmage. The Dolphins settled for a 23-yard field goal.
Pittsburgh took a 7-3 lead when Jones, a game-time decision because of a groin injury, missed a tackle on wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey during his 60-yard touchdown run.
But Pittsburgh barely threatened after that, and the Dolphins recorded their biggest victory of the young season.
