Troy Aikman rips Dolphins for 'ridiculous' fourth quarter vs Steelers
- - Troy Aikman rips Dolphins for 'ridiculous' fourth quarter vs Steelers
Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY December 16, 2025 at 10:58 PM
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Troy Aikman ripped the Miami Dolphins for what he referred to as a "ridiculous" fourth quarter plan during the team's 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Monday Night Football" in Week 15.
Aikman's comments came just before the 2-minute warning, when Miami sacked Aaron Rodgers and used its final timeout to guarantee itself one more possession.
"I'm flabbergasted by what we've witnessed here in this fourth quarter with the Dolphins," Aikman said on ESPN's broadcast of the game. "And now they want to call timeouts. It just is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I've seen in a long time."
makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fo8okmfdHRvDHl_AjAyGtw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/ece3b009de0e7aba961c9dfc2585f6aa class=caas-img data-headline="Best images of the 2025 NFL season" data-caption="
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
">Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fo8okmfdHRvDHl_AjAyGtw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/ece3b009de0e7aba961c9dfc2585f6aa class=caas-img>
1 / 4Best images of the 2025 NFL season
Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.
Aikman later clarified his criticism stemmed from Miami's clock management strategy and lack of urgency during the game's final frame.
The Dolphins trailed 28-3 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Despite this, the team orchestrated two methodical drives during which the offense repeatedly huddled and declined to operate with any sort of hurry-up attack to maximize the time remaining in the game.
That baffled Aikman, especially once the Dolphins – who were facing elimination from the playoff race with a loss – tried to kick the offense into high-gear trailing by two possessions with just a couple of minutes remaining in regulation.
"This is just a bizarre last few series," Aikman opined. "They don't go hurry-up. Now they're going hurry-up and calling timeouts. It's just, it's hard to understand exactly what the philosophy or what they're trying to do."
Troy Aikman: "I'm flabbergasted by what we've witnessed here in this fourth quarter with the Dolphins. And now they want to call timeouts. It just is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I've seen in a long time." 🏈🎙️#NFL #MNF https://t.co/UCAKUYXR97 pic.twitter.com/YDYIdhYtgk
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 16, 2025
Source: “AOL Sports”
