Pat McAfee trashes 'sad state of affairs' for Miami Dolphins after loss to Steelers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Miami Dolphins had everything to play for on Monday night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved to 8-6 on the season and continue to hold firm atop the AFC North with a 28-15 victory over the Miami Dolphins (6-8) on Monday night. While the win moves Pittsburgh one step closer to the playoffs,

The Miami Dolphins have a chance to even their record at 7-7 with a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Denver Broncos are ranked number one in the NFL Power Rankings after Week 15 with a 12-2 record. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks follow the Broncos in the power rankings.

Troy Aikman said he was "flabbergasted" by the Dolphins' comeback attempt against the Steelers on "Monday Night Football" in Week 15.

Miami has won four in a row since losing to Baltimore back in Week 9, and is now on the fringes of the playoff race in a season that started off in disastrous fashion. The Dolphins have been running the ball like crazy during their winning streak, while also turning over the opposing team multiple times in each of those games.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel suggested a major shift may be coming after Tua Tagovailoa struggled and the Dolphins fell out of playoff contention.

He threw for 2,800 yards on 8.3 yards per attempt with 27 touchdowns and just five picks in the Big 12 this year, adding on 580 yards rushing on 100 carries to boot. He's big (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), fast and has arm talent to spare; if you simplify things for him and sand down some of the edges, he absolutely looks the part of an NFL starter.

On the NFC side, Green Bay Packers trade acquisition Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos. Parsons has totaled 12.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in his first season with the Packers.