The Miami Dolphins edged out the Pittsburgh Steelers in their NFL clash at Heinz Field.
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In snowy conditions both sides began slowly but the Steelers were the first to click into gear. Ben Roethlisberger drove his team downfield before firing a touchdown strike to Emmanuel Sanders to give his side the lead.
Miami hit back with a good drive of their own as Ryan Tannehill used a mix of passing play and his own running to set up a 30-yard field goal for Caleb Sturgis that he put through the posts.
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The Dolphins upped the ante just before the break as Tannehill move them downfield again, but this time they got into the endzone courtesy of a six-yard throw to Charles Clay in the flat and he walked in for the score.
After the break, the Dolphins extended their advantage to 10 points. Tannehill and Miller moved the offense into the redzone and he handed the ball off to his other back Daniel Thomas to plow in for the four-yard score.
However, the Steelers hit back as Roethlisberger fired a pass across the middle of the field for Antonio Brown on a crossing route, and he found an angle and beat two defenders to run in for the 43-yard score.
Pittsburgh took the lead when Tannehill made his first mistake of the game as he threw an interception into the hands of Troy Polamalu, who ran the ball back into the endzone for the 19-yard touchdown.
Miami responded three minutes later as the quarterback amended his error. He fired the ball to the side of the endzone to wide receiver Brian Hartline, who made an excellent catch to drag his feet to complete the four-yard score.
Back came the Steelers early in the fourth quarter and regained the lead. Roethlisberger fired a pass into the endzone and Jerricho Cotchery made the grab for the touchdown.
However, the Dolphins would not go away as they went ahead late in the contest. Tannehill lofted the ball to Clay down the right sideline and he powered through two tackles to cross the goalline for the 12-yard score, and a 27-yard field goal from Sturgis handed his side a six-point lead with a minute left.
The Steelers came within inches of winning the game as Roethlisberger fired short to Sanders with no time left and following several lateral passes the ball came to Brown on the left sideline. He beat two tackles to reach the endzone but he was ruled out of bounds as his left foot was just in touch before he crossed the goalline.
Simon Sinclair
