Dolphins vs. Steelers: TV Schedule, Odds, Ticket Info, Game Time and More

The Miami Dolphins are making their first postseason appearance since 2008, when they held off the Matt Cassel-led New England Patriots for the AFC East crown.

During that season, Chad Pennington was the starting quarterback, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams formed the backfield duo and Ted Ginn led the Fins in receptions and receiving yards. Joey Porter was the defensive stalwart with 17.5 sacks.

These days, Pennington, Brown and Williams are enjoying retirement, Ginn is still in the league with the Carolina Panthers and Porter is the outside linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his first team before going to Miami.

The Steelers won the Super Bowl that season, led by coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. They're still around, looking for Pittsburgh's seventh Super Bowl title.

The two teams will square off Sunday in the AFC Wild Card Round. Let's take a look at the matchup.

Dolphins at Steelers Game Information

When: Sunday, Jan. 8 at 1:05 p.m. ET

Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh

TV: CBS

Odds: Steelers (-10), per OddsShark (as of Friday, Jan. 6)

Ticket Information: ScoreBig.com

Last Time Around

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On October 16, the Dolphins defeated the Steelers, 30-15, in Miami behind running back Jay Ajayi's 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry also helped the Fins keep the chains moving with seven catches and 91 yards.

Pittsburgh struggled offensively all game. Running back Le'Veon Bell was held to 53 rushing yards, while wide receiver Antonio Brown only caught four passes for 39 yards.

The Steelers cut the Dolphins' lead to 23-15 with one minute remaining, but Ajayi responded with a 62-yard touchdown run to seal the victory.

When the Steelers Have the Ball

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The Steelers are a much better home team, averaging 28.25 points in Pittsburgh this season compared to 21.6 points on the road. In particular, Roethlisberger has a 20:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio at home compared to 9:8 away from the friendly confines of Heinz Field.

Expect Pittsburgh to score easily Sunday, with Bell gashing through a Dolphins run defense that allows 4.9 yards per carry.

Pittsburgh's success in the air will largely depend on Dolphins cornerback Byron Maxwell's availability. The 28-year-old has missed recent practice sessions with an ankle injury and is running out of time to get well before Sunday's game.

If he can't go, the shorthanded Dolphins secondary is going to have problems against Brown and tight end Ladarius Green, who pose matchup nightmares for any defense, let alone a team with significant injury concerns.

When the Dolphins Have the Ball

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Matt Moore will likely start at quarterback Sunday as Ryan Tannehill continues to rehab a knee injury he suffered against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14.

Moore has done well in Tannehill's place this season, throwing eight touchdown passes to only three interceptions. He's also completed 63 percent of his passes and has a 105.6 QB rating.

He has talented wide receivers at his disposal who will make plays through the air: Jarvis Landry (94 catches, 1,136 yards, four touchdowns), DeVante Parker (56 catches, 744 yards, four touchdowns) and Kenny Stills (42 catches, 726 yards, nine touchdowns).

The aforementioned Ajayi is capable of rushing for over 200 yards—he's done so three times this season. The problem is that much of his success this season, including a three-game midseason stretch that saw him rush for 529 yards and four touchdowns, came with Dolphins center Mike Pouncey on the field. He's on injured reserve and won't play.

In his last eight games (seven of which Pouncey missed), Ajayi has rushed for 80 or more yards just once, although that one time was an incredible 206-yard performance against the Buffalo Bills on Christmas Eve.

Special Teams

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Both teams have middle-of-the-road special teams units, with Miami ranking 12th and Pittsburgh 16th, per Football Outsiders.

On the placekicking side, Dolphins kicker Andrew Franks has only attempted 21 field goals on the season (Miami as a team tied for the fewest field goal attempts in the league). He made 16 of them for a 76 percent success rate, which was one of the lowest marks in the NFL.

Chris Boswell made 21 of his 25 attempts this season, including six against the Cincinnati Bengals in a 24-20 win in Week 16.

In Sunday's game, keep an eye on Dolphins rookie Kenyan Drake, who averaged 30.5 yards per kick return in 13 attempts this season, including an electric 96-yard touchdown run against the New York Jets that gave the Dolphins a 27-23 win in November.

Prediction

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Expect Pittsburgh to go to Bell early and often on a chilly Sunday afternoon, when temperatures are expected to be in the teens. The Dolphins just won't have an answer for him. If Miami chooses to stack the box against Bell, expect Big Ben to find success in the air, throwing to Green and Brown.

Although Ajayi ran wild against Pittsburgh last time around, it's hard to see him having much success given Pouncey's absence and the potential that the Steelers jump out to an early lead and control the clock with Bell, leading to Moore and the Dolphins wide receivers trying to claw their way back into this one.

The Miami aerial attack will find some success, but not enough to stay in the game. Expect a relatively smooth win for Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh 27, Miami 13