Steelers vs. Dolphins final score, results: Tua Tagovailoa wins in return as Miami outlasts Pittsburgh

Sam Jarden

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Steelers vs. Dolphins final score, results: Tua Tagovailoa wins in return as Miami outlasts Pittsburgh image

It wasn't always pretty. In fact, in the second half it was very, very ugly. But Tua Tagovailoa marked his return from injury with a win as the Dolphins triumphed over the Steelers, 16-10, on "Sunday Night Football."

Tagovailoa, who missed the team's last two games after suffering a concussion in Week 4, went 21 of 35 with 261 passing yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He helped the team get its first win since his injury more than three weeks ago.

MORE: Tua explains aftermath of concussion: "I don't remember much"

Miami's offense came flying out of the gates. Tagovailoa found Raheem Mostert for a touchdown on the first drive of the game, and after two consecutive field goals gave the Dolphins a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, it looked like it was headed for a blowout.

But Kenny Pickett and the Steelers had other ideas. After a field goal cut the lead to 10, Pickett led a 13-play, 86-yard drive capped off by a beautiful touchdown catch for fellow rookie George Pickens.

With Miami holding a 16-10 lead at halftime, it seemed like an entertaining finish was in store. Instead, we got punts. Lots and lots of punts.

Both teams fell apart offensively in the second half, combining to punt on 8 straight possessions at one point. Miami picked up just 4 first downs the entire half, underlining just how dull this game was for everyone watching. 

But even with Miami's offense struggling, the Steelers failed to convert on several chances to score. Pickett threw interceptions on both of Pittsburgh's last two drives to extinguish any hopes of a comeback win.

In the end, both teams went scoreless in the second half, as the Dolphins' defense did just enough to hang on to the win. It moved Miami to 4-3, while the loss dropped Pittsburgh to 2-5 on the season.

MORE: Watch live NFL games with fuboTV (free trial)

Sporting News was tracking live scoring updates and highlights from Steelers vs. Dolphins on "Sunday Night Football". Here are all the key moments you may have missed from the Week 7 matchup.

Steelers vs. Dolphins score

  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  F 
Steelers 0 10 0 0 10
Dolphins 13 3 0 0 16

Steelers vs. Dolphins live updates, highlights from Sunday Night Football

(All times Eastern.)

11:26 p.m. FINAL — After a short official review, the interception is confirmed and this game is over. Tua kneels it out to secure the win for Miami. It sure wasn't pretty, but the Dolphins are back in the win column. A heartbreaking ending for Pickett and the Steelers, but you can't score 10 points and expect to win many games. 

11:23 p.m. INTERCEPTION — NOAH IGBINOGHENE CALLED GAME! Pickett was looking for Diontae Johnson in the end zone, but he underthrew him and Igbinoghene secured the ball and got both feet down to make the pick! That should seal it!

11:22 p.m. — Diontae Johnson makes another catch and scampers out of bounds to stop the clock with 42 seconds left. Then, they go back to Freiermuth for an 8-yard pickup. 

11:21 p.m. — WHAT A THROW. WHAT A CATCH. Pickett hits Freiermuth in stride across the middle to move the Steelers over midfield! 48 seconds left on the clock. 

11:19 p.m. — Pickett has to throw it away on 1st down, then on 2nd he's dragged down after scrambling for a couple yards. The clock keeps on ticking. He then completes it to Claypool for another short gain, but it'll be 4th and 6 with the game on the line. 

11:18 p.m. — As a side note, there sure are quite a lot of Steelers fans in the building tonight. The Terrible Towels are out in full force.

11:16 p.m. TWO-MINUTE WARNING — Pickett goes to Freiermuth twice to start the two-minute drill. He picks up 7 yards, then 8 yards to move the ball to the Steelers' own 28-yard line. With that, we head to the two-minute warning. 

11:14 p.m. — Mostert runs up the middle twice, picking up a total of 7 yards. The Steelers have to use their last two timeouts. On 3rd and 3, Tua surprisingly drops back to throw and it's nearly picked off! That will stop the clock, a huge gift for the Steelers' offense. They'll get the ball back (assuming no disasters on the punt return) with two and a half minutes left.

11:11 p.m. — Here's the situation now: Miami has ball near midfield with 2:47 on the clock. The Steelers have two timeouts, but any points on this Dolphins drive should seal the win. Pittsburgh needs a stop. 

11:10 p.m. INTERCEPTION — A huge play by the Dolphins' defense! Some rain showers have passed through the Miami area, and perhaps due to the ball getting wet, Pickett's throw wobbles and goes straight into the hands of Jevon Holland! 

11:08 p.m. — On 3rd and 1, the Steelers get called for an untimely illegal shift penalty to move them back 5 yards. On the next play, Pickett scrambles left and nearly picks up the first down, but they commit ANOTHER bad penalty. This time, offensive lineman Dan Moore is called for holding. It'll be 3rd and 16 now from Miami's 30-yard line.

11:06 p.m. — With less than 4 minutes left, Pittsburgh has it in the red zone after Harris picked up 7 yards on a first down carry. They're down by 6 points, so it's reaching the stage where only a touchdown will do. 

11:03 p.m. — Pickett passes to Pickens on back-to-back plays, and he catches both to move the ball down to Miami's 34-yard line. Two plays later, Claypool makes another grab for a gain of 10 yards. Raekwon Davis of the Dolphins picked up an injury on that last play. In other injury news, Diontae Johnson has returned for the Steelers after that arm injury earlier. 

11:01 p.m. — Now it's the Steelers' turn to string some plays together. Pickett connects with his tight end Freiermuth for a gain of 13 yards, then hits Claypool a few plays later for a big conversion on 3rd and 10. 

10:58 p.m. — Since we're in the midst of a punt-fest, why not have some fun with tonight's punting stats? Pittsburgh's Pressley Harvin III has booted six punts with an average distance of 41.8 yards, with two downed inside the 20-yard line, while Miami's Thomas Morstead has five punts on the night with an average distance of 45.4 yards and three downed inside the 20. Fascinating stuff. 

10:55 p.m. — Nope. Mostert lost a yard on 2nd and 2, then Tua's deep 3rd down pass for Hill was broken up thanks to good coverage by Edmunds. Since that turnover on downs by Miami early in the third quarter, every single drive by both teams has ended in a punt. 

10:54 p.m. — Hill makes another catch for a nice gain on 1st down, then Mostert rips off back-to-back runs of 12 and 8 yards to keep the drive ticking along. Is this the drive that someone finally gets points?

10:49 p.m. — In a truly stunning turn of events, the Steelers will have to punt again. A run by Harris and a short throw to tight end Zach Gentry brought up 3rd and 4, but Pickett sailed a deep ball over the head of Claypool down the right sideline. Claypool wanted a flag for pass interference but didn't get it.

10:46 p.m. — Hill makes the catch on first down and scurries for 16 yards as the Dolphins try to finally put a drive together. But just a few plays later, they face a 3rd and 8. Tua completes it to Gesicki, but he's stopped well short of the marker to bring up another 4th down. We've seen six punts in the last six drives, and this writer's wishes for an entertaining fourth quarter have so far gone unanswered. 

10:44 p.m. — That was actually an excellent play by Miami safety Clayton Fejedelem to snatch Harris' legs on 3rd and short.

10:41 p.m. — Pickett tosses short right to Connor Heyward, younger brother of Pittsburgh defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, to make it 3rd and 1. Harris gets the handoff, but gets tripped up for no gain. That brings up another 4th down and the Steelers will punt for the fourth drive in a row. 

End of third quarter: Dolphins 16, Steelers 10

10:37 p.m. — Najee Harris rips off a 16-yard run on 1st down to get the Steelers moving in the right direction. He picks up a few more on the next play, and that'll take us to the end of a dull, scoreless third quarter. Let's hope we get some more action in the fourth.

10:35 p.m. — Miami gets the ball back and — you guessed it — they'll have to punt it right back after another three-and-out. After a short Mostert run, Tagovailoa threw incomplete then scrambled on 3rd down but came up just short. 

10:32 p.m. — On the ensuing 3rd down, Pickett tries to tuck and run but it goes nowhere as he's dragged down after a very short gain. Pittsburgh will have to punt again. After a pretty entertaining first half, things have slowed down considerably here this quarter. 

10:28 p.m. — The Steelers take over once again, but their drive starts in sloppy fashion with back-to-back offensive penalties. That sets up 2nd and 23, and Jaylen Warren makes a catch to get about 7 yards back. Miami's Brandon Jones was hurt on the play, and it looks relatively serious. That would be a big loss for the Dolphins' defense. 

10:22 p.m. — Mostert loses a yard on 1st down, then on 2nd Tua throws a very dangerous pass that should have been intercepted. It went right through the hands of Terrell Edmunds, but he couldn't hang on. That's a bullet dodged. On 3rd and 11, Tua throws to Hill, but he's brought down well short of the marker. Another punt upcoming. 

10:19 p.m. — After a short pass to Harris, it's 3rd and 3. Pickett drops back, looks to his right and throws short to Harris again, but he gets wrapped up about a yard short of the sticks. That will force another Steelers punt. 

10:16 p.m. — The Steelers start the drive with two consecutive throws to Diontae Johnson. He catches them both for gains of 12 and 6 yards, but unfortunately it appears he was injured on the second. Looks like it could be an issue with his left arm. 

10:13 p.m. — Interesting decision by Mike McDaniel there. He could have gone for the short field goal to make it a two-possession game. Instead, he went for it and it didn't pay off. The Steelers now have another chance to take the lead on this drive.

10:12 p.m. TURNOVER ON DOWNS — Pittsburgh comes up with a huge stop! The Dolphins handed it off to Edmonds again, but he had nowhere to go and got stuffed at the line of scrimmage to end the drive!

10:10 p.m. — Miami uses its first timeout of the half to ponder another 3rd and 2 situation. They hand it off to Chase Edmonds up the middle, but he's smothered and ends up losing a yard. It's 4th and 3, and it looks like Mike McDaniel is going to keep his offense on the field to go for it.

10:07 p.m. — The Dolphins face a quick 3rd and 2, but Tua hits Waddle for a 25-yard gain to kickstart the drive. On the very next play, he completes it again to Mostert for 18 more yards to move to the edge of the red zone. 

10:03 p.m. — Harris loses a yard on 1st down, the Pickett is sacked for a huge loss on 2nd by Jaelan Phillips. A 3rd down pass picks up 10 yards, but it's not enough and that'll be a three-and-out to start the half.

10:02 p.m. START OF SECOND HALF — Gunner Olszewski runs the kickoff back to the 27-yard line for the Steelers and the second half is underway.

9:47 p.m. — This game looked like it was heading for a blowout after the Dolphins scored 13 unanswered points to get things started, but credit to Pickett and the Steelers for fighting back. Pittsburgh gets the ball back with a chance to take the lead when the second half begins. 

End of first half: Dolphins 16, Steelers 10

9:45 p.m. FIELD GOAL — Sanders is good from 47 yards out. Those should be the final points of the half. 

9:43 p.m. — They try another deep ball for Hill, but this one falls incomplete. After a delay of game penalty with 15 seconds on the clock, the Dolphins opt for a pair of short throws to shorten the field goal attempt and they'll send Sanders on.

9:40 p.m. — Tua tosses it up for Tyreek Hill on 3rd down, who predictably makes the grab to set the Dolphins up inside field goal range. Miami uses its third and final timeout with 21 seconds left on the clock. 

9:38 p.m. — Right away, Tua finds Sherfield across the middle for 32 yards. Great throw and catch there. Then, a couple of short gains set up 3rd and 1 just across midfield, but a false start moves Miami back 5 yards.

9:37 p.m. — Mostert muffed the kickoff but managed to get back on top of the ball to keep possession. Still, not great field position for Tua and Co. with just under two minutes left in the half. 

Dolphins 13, Steelers 10

9:34 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — WOW. What a play by Pickens! Pickett throws to the right corner of the end zone, and Pickens makes a spectacular contested catch while still somehow getting both feet down for the score! The rookie to rookie connection pays off for Pittsburgh!

9:33 p.m. TWO-MINUTE WARNING — Harris takes the handoff and rumbles for 12 more yards to set up 1st and goal. Two minutes left in the half.

9:28 p.m. — The Steelers go back to Pickens, who makes two more short catches to pick up another first down. But after an illegal block penalty on Chase Claypool moves them back 10 yards, they face a 3rd and 12 from the Miami 35-yard line. Pickett drops back and looks to throw, then tucks and runs up the middle, sliding down for a gain of 16 and another crucial conversion. We have signs of life from this offense.

9:25 p.m. — A few plays later, they face 3rd and 2 from near midfield. Pickett fires left and completes it to Diontae Johnson to keep the drive going.

9:22 p.m. — There's Pittsburgh's biggest play of the night. Pickett tosses it deep left for the rookie George Pickens, who hauls it in to move the Steelers out of their own end. That's a good sign for this offense.

9:17 p.m. — A pair of Tua completions to Trent Sherfield moves the chains, but the drive stalls out shortly after that following incompletions on 2nd and 3rd down. Thomas Morstead trots on and punts it down to the Pittsburgh 12-yard line.

Dolphins 13, Steelers 3

9:12 p.m. FIELD GOAL — The kick is good from 45 yards. The Steelers finally get some points to snatch away some of Miami's momentum. 

9:11 p.m. — Harris jukes a few defenders for 12 more yards and another first down. After two short gains set up 3rd and 3, Pickett tosses left for Diontae but they can't connect. Chris Boswell will come in to try and get Pittsburgh on the board with a field goal.

9:06 p.m. — Pickett tucks and runs up the middle, but he's dragged down just shy of the line to gain and that'll bring up 4th and inches from near midfield. Tomlin opts to go for it, and Jaylen Warren takes the handoff and powers ahead to move the chains. Big play to keep the drive alive.

End of first quarter: Dolphins 13, Steelers 0

9:02 p.m. — Finally, the Steelers have a first down after Pickett completes it to Pat Freiermuth for 8 yards on 3rd down. Two plays later, they face 3rd and 4 after a couple short gains. That'll take us to the end of the quarter.

Dolphins 13, Steelers 0

8:58 p.m. FIELD GOAL — The kick is good from 42 yards. The Dolphins get points on their first three possessions, while the Steelers still haven't even picked up a 1st down. 

8:56 p.m. — Just two plays after that, Tua has them back down near the red zone after an 18-yard throw to Waddle. But they follow that up with three straight incompletions to bring up 4th and 10. This will be another field goal attempt for Sanders. 

8:51 p.m. INTERCEPTION — This is turning into a brutal first quarter for the Steelers. On just the second play of the drive, Pickett drops back and throws deep left for Chase Claypool. But the receiver gets his feet tangled up with the defender, letting Justin Bethel make an uncontested interception. Miami has the ball back again with great field position. 

Dolphins 10, Steelers 0

8:46 p.m. FIELD GOAL — Mostert takes an even bigger hit on a pass over the middle that falls incomplete, but it looks like he's also alright. Jason Sanders comes on and knocks through the short field goal to make it 10-0 to the home team.

8:45 p.m. — Tua takes off to run it on 2nd and 8 and lowers his shoulder on the defender, taking a big hit in the process. You could almost hear the collective breath in from the fans in Miami. He's fine, though, and it'll be 3rd and 4.

8:43 p.m. — This is WAY too easy for Miami's offense right now. It feels like they're picking up double-digit gains on every play. This time it's Mostert, who picks up 12 yards and then 11 yards on back-to-back handoffs. 

8:42 p.m. — Tua throws another strike to Jaylen Waddle, who's wide open across the middle of the field. He scampers down to the Pittsburgh 35-yard line as the Dolphins are already looking to extend their lead. 

8:37 p.m. — On the Steelers' first drive of the night, Najee Harris takes the handoff on back-to-back plays to set up a 3rd and 3. Pickett drops back for his first throw of the night, heaving it down the left sideline to Diontae Johnson — but it's overthrown and incomplete. They'll have to punt it away. 

Dolphins 7, Steelers 0

8:31 p.m. TOUCHDOWN — On 3rd and 3 from inside the 10, Tua drops back, then steps up in the pocket and slings it left to Raheem Mostert, who jogs in for a touchdown to open the scoring! A fantastic opening drive by Tua and the Dolphins has them up early. 

8:30 p.m. — Mike Gesicki comes up with a catch, running and front-flipping down inside the red zone for 18 more yards. Tua has looked very sharp early in this one. 

8:27 p.m. — Hill makes another catch, this time for a nice pickup of 17 yards. Then they go right back to him again, moving the ball down to the Steelers' 35-yard line. 

8:26 p.m. — A false start on the first play from scrimmage moves the Dolphins back 5 yards, then Tyreek Hill gets dropped for a loss of 4. But a completion to Jaylen Waddle on 2nd and 19 goes for 20 yards and picks up a first down.

8:25 p.m. — The Steelers will kick off first, with Miami's offense set to take the field on the first drive of the night. 

8:21 p.m. — Tonight, the Dolphins are celebrating their 1972 team that achieved a perfect season, a feat we haven't seen since. Team members Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Larry Little and Paul Warfield accompanied the Miami captains out to midfield for the coin toss.

8:16 p.m. — Clear skies and temperatures in the high 70s Fahrenheit tonight in the Miami area. Certainly a relief from the day games played there recently, which have been pretty steamy. 

8:14 p.m. — You can see the chemistry between Mike McDaniel and Tua as they take the field. 

8:02 p.m. — Mike Tomlin getting the Steelers fans in attendance fired UP. 

7:52 p.m. — Anyone need a big night from Tyreek Hill to save their fantasy team this week?

7:42 p.m. — And here's Tua Tagovailoa, who's also making his return from a concussion tonight. The Dolphins are looking to get back on track after three losses in their last three games.

7:38 p.m. — Kenny Pickett will indeed get his first primetime start tonight after clearing concussion protocol. He's out getting warmed up at Hard Rock Stadium. 

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 23
  • Time: 8:20 p.m. ET

Steelers vs. Dolphins will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The weather forecast is for clear skies with temperatures in the high 70s. 

What channel is Steelers vs. Dolphins on today?

  • TV channel: NBC
  • Live stream: NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com, Peacock, fuboTV (US) | DAZN (Canada)

The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC, with pregame coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color commentary) and Melissa Stark (sideline reporting) will be on the call from South Florida.

A live stream will also be available on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. Those watching in Canada can tune in on DAZN, which features every NFL game. 

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.