Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins, Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Sunday, October 24, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Steelers -3
Current Line: Steelers -3
Opening Total: 40
Current Total: 40.5
Money Line: Steelers -150 / Dolphins +130
The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) just got one of their key players back and did not want to lose another one when they visit the Miami Dolphins (3-2) on Sunday. The Steelers (-3 on the current NFL point spreads) are coming off a 28-10 rout of Cleveland last week with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the field for the first time this season following a four-game suspension for breaking the NFL’s personal conduct policy. But another change in league policy had Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison contemplating retirement after it was announced players would be suspended for future illegal hits on opponents.
Harrison was fined $75,000 this week for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi and does not want to change his style of play for anybody, especially since he feels the physical contact is simply part of the game. He leads a Steelers defense that has allowed an NFL-low 12 points per game and also owns the top run defense, giving up only 63.8 yards per game on the ground.
Miami running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams would not miss Harrison but will still face him after he returned to practice on Thursday. However, Pittsburgh defensive end Brett Keisel will miss this game with a hamstring injury, making Harrison’s presence all the more important. Brown and Williams combined to rush for 137 yards on 32 carries in a 23-20 overtime win at Green Bay last week and will try to help their team avoid their fifth straight loss at home dating back to last season.
The Dolphins dropped consecutive home games to divisional rivals New England and the New York Jets before beating the Packers, and they also lost to the Steelers 30-24 at home in January as part of the skid. Williams was bottled up by the Pittsburgh defense in the last meeting, totaling 31 yards on 12 carries while quarterback Chad Henne completed 16 of 20 passes for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Roethlisberger was the star in that last game at Miami, throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns. He was also impressive in his first game back last week against the Browns after he threw his first interception, completing 16 of 27 passes for 257 yards with three touchdowns. Like the last meeting with the Dolphins, Roethlisberger threw scoring passes to three different receivers against Cleveland en route to the easy victory.
The Steelers have won the last four meetings with Miami, going 3-1 against the spread. The only non-cover for Pittsburgh during that stretch was a 3-0 home win in 2007 when inclement weather was a major factor in determining the outcome.
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