Troy Aikman was not holding back during Monday Night Football. He straight-up tore into a super controversial taunting penalty that totally flipped the script in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 28-15 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins. As a longtime ESPN analyst, he called the call "unbelievable" right off the bat, then later hit it with "absolutely devastating." And to top it off, he unloaded this brutal rant that pretty much buried Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel for good measure.
It was late in the third quarter, and Pittsburgh's sitting pretty with a 21-3 lead, even without their star guy TJ Watt suiting up. Miami's on defense, facing a third down around midfield, and it looks like they finally catch a break. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks stuffs Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth short of the sticks. But as the play wraps up, Brooks stands over Freiermuth for a quick second. A flag was thrown almost immediately. This all went down right after Aikman's new relationship with his girlfriend, who's 19 years younger, got outed post-divorce, but that's just the timing.
Aikman's on the broadcast, watching the refs huddle up, and he reacted live: "Yeah, if this is a penalty on the taunting after the play, this is going to be unbelievable." You could hear the disbelief in his voice, he knew what was coming.
Sure enough, they announce it: 15-yard taunting penalty on Brooks, automatic first down for Pittsburgh. Aikman was fuming even more. "That’s ridiculous. I mean, that’s not much. That’s not much at all in my opinion," he says. "I don’t know. I think it’s a terrible call. And I’m not excusing the behavior, I just don’t think there’s enough there."
Instead of Miami getting the ball back to punt, the Steelers keep possession and flip the field big time. They grind out this clock-chewing drive that spills into the fourth quarter, making everything even worse for the Dolphins. Kenneth Gainwell comes alive with back-to-back runs that get them over midfield, and Pittsburgh's offense just keeps the pressure on. Miami never really bounces back from that momentum killer.
Aikman circles back to it as the Steelers keep marching: "That penalty on Brooks was absolutely devastating." No kidding, it changed the whole vibe of the night.
Pittsburgh cashes in quick, scoring early in the fourth to make it 28-3 and basically seal the deal. Final score at Acrisure Stadium: Steelers 28, Dolphins 15. Pittsburgh jumps to 8-6 and stays on top of the AFC North. Miami drops to 6-8 and gets officially knocked out of the playoffs.
What a rough night for the Dolphins all around. They're out there shivering in 17-degree weather, and their offense just couldn't get going for most of the game. Tua Tagovailoa puts up 222 passing yards and hooks up with Darren Waller twice for TDs in the fourth quarter, but that's it, Miami only ran 48 plays total for 285 yards. De’Von Achane balled out with 128 yards from scrimmage, but they were scoreless for almost three full quarters. Frustrating doesn't even cover it.
The Steelers played smart and balanced. Aaron Rodgers takes care of the ball with zero turnovers. DK Metcalf hauls in a 28-yard touchdown catch. Gainwell sparks things with 80 rushing yards and seven receptions. Oh, and Pittsburgh keeps their insane home streak alive on Monday Night Football, now 23 straight wins in that prime-time slot.
This whole thing comes hot on the heels of Travis Kelce clowning the NFL's taunting policy with an 11-word zinger after the Chiefs' season wrapped up.
https://www.nfl.com/players/tua-tagovailoa/