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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Miami Dolphins expect to have their most explosive offensive weapon available Monday night in Pittsburgh.
Head coach Mike McDaniel said Saturday that De’Von Achane, who exited Miami’s Week 14 win at New York with a rib injury and missed the second half as a precaution, is expected to be in the lineup when Miami visits the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15.
Achane’s return, if it holds through the weekend, restores the Dolphins’ primary game-breaker.
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Through 13 games, he has given Miami an elite per-carry threat, totaling 193 carries for 1,126 rushing yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 55 catches for 383 receiving yards, piling up seven touchdowns on the ground, along with four through the air.
Miami (6-7) has stabilized after a rocky start, winning five of its last six games, including four straight against Buffalo, Washington, New Orleans, and the Jets.
Yet, sitting three games back of a playoff spot with just four contests remaining, their margin for error is thin, with ESPN giving them less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs.
The Dolphins average 126.5 rushing yards per game (eighth in the NFL) and have leaned on Achane’s explosiveness to tilt possession and field position in tight contests.
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Pittsburgh (7-6) arrives in unusual circumstances.
The Steelers took a critical 27-22 road win last week against the Baltimore Ravens to grab the lead in the AFC North, but their defense suffered a late blow: star edge-rusher T.J. Watt underwent surgery on a partially collapsed lung after a therapy session and was ruled out of immediate consideration.
Watt’s absence removes the Steelers’ biggest defensive difference-maker and forces Pittsburgh to rework its approach to generating quarterback pressure and setting the edge against Miami’s run game, led by Achane.
By contrast, Pittsburgh enters the matchup with a 67% chance of making the postseason given its position atop the division, though an upset loss Monday would significantly alter that outlook.
The Steelers enter as 3-point favorites with a 42.5-point over/under.
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