PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered another injury on Monday night to their edge rusher room. Standout third outside linebacker Nick Herbig suffered a hamstring strain, something he dealt with in the preseason and an injury that forced him to miss the first game of the year.

The team did not mention just how severe the injury was, but head coach Mike Tomlin noted that Herbig would be evaluated and they would have an update on him later. In his place, the team continued to play Alex Highsmith and leaned more on outside linebacker Jack Sawyer, a rookie out of Ohio State.

T.J. Watt is still battling a partially collapsed lung that happened during his Wednesday dry needling treatment last week, and it is unknown just how long he will be sidelined with the issue.

If Watt and Herbig can not play, Sawyer would get his first career start. They would also see more of DeMarvin Leal, who was elevated from the practice squad for this game. Leal was the team’s third round draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Steelers also have edge rusher Julius Welschof on their practice squad.

Guard Isaac Seumalo also suffered a triceps injury that forced him to exit the game and he did not return. Spencer Anderson became the starting left guard and Ryan McCollum entered the game in the team’s jumbo package.

The Miami Dolphins are historically a poor team in the cold. With the Pittsburgh Steelers welcoming them in a game that will occur in below-freezing temperatures, the Dolphins flew up to Pittsburgh early and practiced in a snow storm on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh area received anywhere from five-to-eight inches around the city and its suburbs, and the Dolphins practiced at Joe Walton Stadium on Robert Morris University’s campus near the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is trying to turn around a narrative that his team can not win in cold weather situations. They have run the ball well over the last four games, amassing over 160 yards in each game for the first time since the 1970s.

“(Practicing in Pittsburgh on Saturday night) was something that was considered in the offseason,” McDaniel said. “The odd part of the schedule is a Monday night on the road. It always feels like you’re so far removed from the last time you were on the football field. Doing it this way allows us to have our final full-speed practice about 48 hours from kickoff. It’ll be good, I think it’s an added bonus that we get to get ourselves into the environment, but realistically, that’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while to keep consistency about 48 hours from kickoff, having your last activity.”

When the temperature is below 40 degrees, the Dolphins have lost 12 straight games. That is the stat the Dolphins hope to crack by acclimating to the cold earlier than just Monday night, but the Steelers have also practiced outside at Acrisure Stadium as they prepare for this game.

The Detroit Lions (8-6) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) will square off in a Week 16 interdivisional battle between two teams with NFL playoff aspirations. While we know the outcome of the Lions’ Week 15 game, the Steelers have yet to play—they take on the Miami Dolphins on “Monday Night Football”—but that won’t prevent the sports betting sites from taking a look ahead to Week 16.

The Steelers currently sit atop the AFC North, but that is more an indictment of how much of a mess the division has been in 2025, rather than praise for Pittsburgh. After starting the season with a 3-1 record, they’ve gone 4-5 since and have not recorded back-to-back wins—something they’ll be hoping to accomplish on Monday night.

While the Steelers are in a prime position to make the playoffs and potentially host a playoff game, Pittsburgh fans and analysts are frustrated with the team’s performance and have spent most of the season hoping for change.

Steelers fans have squarely pointed their fingers at the Pittsburgh coaching staff as the root of the team’s problems, blaming coach Mike Tomlin for his decisions in staffing, offseason player acquisition, and lack of change/adaptability in their scheme. While Steelers fans have started “Fire Tomlin” chants during games, no coach has come under more fire than defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

“The defensive scheme is ass. The DC needs to get the (expletive) up out of there. Teryl Austin. He was the DB coach when I was there. I didn’t think he was that great then, you know what I’m saying? Now he’s the DC. It’s an opportunistic defense. … They’ve been running the same (expletive) every year with no adjustment.”

On offense, despite the addition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, they’ve struggled to stay on the field and create consistent drives. While his passer rating of 96.2 is decent, the rest of his statistics are mediocre, as he has become more of a checkdown artist in his later years. Rodgers has thrown the ball beyond 10 yards on only 22.7% of his passing attempts, is averaging 5.8 air yards per attempt, and just 3.3 air yards per completion; all three stats are the lowest in the NFL. He’s coming off a 284-yard passing performance against the Ravens (his highest total on the season), but it’s also the first time in a month he’s thrown for more than 161 yards in a game.

Despite the inconsistency and underachieving play, the Steelers remain in contention for the postseason, making them a dangerous opponent for a Lions team that likely needs to win their remaining three games.