The Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins in their season finale but fell short of the playoffs. The reigning Super Bowl champions were reminded of the most lingering problem of the 2009 season. They almost blew a fourth quarter lead again which is why they missed the playoffs in 2009.

The Steelers were ahead 27-10 heading into the final quarter when Miami scored two touchdowns in a brief two minute span. The Dolphins were provided with a golden opportunity to tie the game after a fumble by Roethlisberger deep in their own territory. Ike Taylor's interception near the goal line ended the meltdown and the Steeler offense responded with a time consuming drive that sealed the victory.

“It irritates the heck out of you,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “But I didn’t sense a great deal of panic. The guys made the necessary plays to keep us in it.”

LaMarr Woodley was virtually unstoppable on defense with two sacks, two tackles for a loss and three quarterback hurries. Rashard Mendenhall ran for 94 yards and Willie Parker added 91.

Miami's starting qb Chad Henne sat out the second half with an eye injury that blurred his vision. Rookie quarterback White would depart with 2 minutes left in the third quarter after a collision with Ike Taylor. White was carted off the field with a head injury following a helmet-to-helmet collision with Taylor. White moved his arms and legs before leaving the field en route to a local hospital.

“I told him I hope you feel better, man" said Taylor, who was unhurt. “You never want to see a guy down like that. He kept repeating, Thanks, and I just kept telling him to get better.”

Roethlisberger appeared to injure his throwing arm during the final possession, but he managed to lead Pittsburgh on a 14-play, 83-yard drive. The final drive ended with Jeff Reed’s third field goal for a 30-24 lead with 40 seconds left. Taylor intercepted Thigpen on Miami’s next play to seal the outcome.

“Unlucky there at the end throwing two interceptions,” Thigpen said. “Both I would like to get back.”

The Steelers never had to turn to their backup quarterback, but Roethlisberger said he needed to see a doctor after the game. He declined to discuss his injury.

Pittsburgh found some consolation in winning their final three games after a five game losing streak.

“There are a lot of teams that are capable of going 6-10 facing the circumstances this group was faced with,” Tomlin said. “They knuckled down, they hung together. They did the best of their ability to fix it. We won the last three ball games and gave ourselves a chance.”

Roethlisberger finished with 26 touchdown passes by throwing for scores covering 5 yards to Holmes, 54 yards to Mike Wallace and 3 yards to Heath Miller. Roethlisberger passed for 220 yards and ended the season at 4,328.