DAVIE, Fla. -- The outside noise is plentiful for Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph this week.
Joseph is trying to get his defense to play well in the biggest game of the season Sunday when the Dolphins travel to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round. At the same time, Joseph has been one of the NFL's hot head-coaching candidates, his name being mentioned for several openings.
“It’s flattering when teams have interest in you, but for me, I’ve got one focus this week and that’s the Pittsburgh Steelers,” the 44-year-old said. “That’s my sole focus. My thought process has not gone there. It won’t go there. My job now is to beat Pittsburgh.”
Joseph certainly has his hands full against the Steelers’ high-powered offense. Joseph did a stellar job earlier in Week 6 slowing down Pittsburgh’s “Killer Bs” -- quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell -- and holding the Steelers to 15 points. The Dolphins limited Brown to four catches for 39 yards, Bell to 53 yards rushing and temporarily knocked Roethlisberger out of the game.
Both teams believe they are better now and playing some of their best football of the season. The Steelers have won seven straight and Miami has won nine of its past 11.
Despite the victories, Miami’s defense is limping into the playoffs. The Dolphins have allowed 985 total yards and 66 points scoring in the past two weeks. They also finished ranked 29th in total defense.
“Again, numbers are sometimes misleading,” Joseph said. “Our yards per game wasn’t very good but yards per play was OK. It was good enough to win 10 games so far.”
Both Dolphins starting safeties from Week 1 -- Reshad Jones (shoulder) and Isa Abdul-Quddus (neck) -- are out for the season. No. 1 cornerback Byron Maxwell missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle injury, and his status remains up in the air.
Joseph hasn’t made excuses all season and has had his defense playing winning football most weeks. Pittsburgh is a tough matchup for the banged-up unit. Therefore, Joseph needs to be at the top of his game with his scheme and playcalling.