Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Odds For Week 8 MNF Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers have not looked like a playoff team through their first six games of the 2019 NFL season, but that hasn’t stopped them from being one of the biggest Week 8 favorites. With a 2-4 record, Mike Tomlin’s squad is laying more than two touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins on “Monday Night Football.”

Miami is a 14.5-point underdog, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark. The over/under is 43.

Still searching for their first win, the Dolphins are accustomed to getting a ton of points. This marks the fifth time this season that they are underdogs of more than 14 points.

Pittsburgh has won two of their last three games after starting the year at 0-3. The Steelers upset the Los Angeles Chargers on the road 24-17 before their Week 7 bye.

Since getting blown out by the undefeated New England Patriots in Week 1, Pittsburgh has been very competitive. Their last three losses have all come by a total of nine points.

The Steelers had an absolutely dominant performance when they hosted another winless team on “Monday Night Football” not too long ago. Pittsburgh beat the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3 in Week 4. Mason Rudolph picked up his first win as a starting quarterback.

Rudolph will be back under center after missing a game with a concussion. The Steelers won their last contest with third-string quarterback Devlin Hodges in the lineup.

It’s been Pittsburgh’s defense that’s carried them for the last few weeks. Over the last three games, the Steelers rank fourth in the NFL in opponents’ yards per play. After a rough start to the year, Pittsburgh is in the top half of the league in total defense and scoring defense.

Even as they scored 24 points against the Chargers, the Steelers only totaled 256 yards of offense. Rookie linebacker Devin Bush returned a fumble for a touchdown and intercepted a pass that set up Pittsburgh for an easy score.

Rudolph threw for a career-high 229 yards in Pittsburgh’s first win against Cincinnati. He didn’t reach the 175-yard mark in his other two starts.

Miami is coming closer to picking up their first win. The Dolphins finally covered a spread in Week 5 when they narrowly lost to the Washington Redskins 17-16. Miami was a two-point conversion away from getting in the win column.

The Dolphins gave the Buffalo Bills a fight in Week 7, covering their first double-digit point spread of the season. Miami took a lead into the fourth quarter before losing 31-21. A few turnovers in the red zone ended the Dolphins’ chances of pulling off the upset.

Maybe the Dolphins can actually beat the Steelers if they hold onto the ball. That could be an issue with Ryan Fitzpatrick’s penchant for throwing interceptions and Pittsburgh’s ability of late to get takeaways.

Monday’s game should be a low-scoring affair, potentially one that’s closer than some expect.

Prediction: Pittsburgh over Miami, 17-13