Pittsburgh Steelers thrash Miami Dolphins but play-off win marred by Joey Porter arrest after match

Pittsburgh secured a comfortable wildcard play-off victory to set-up a divisional clash with the Kansas City Chiefs but assistant coach Porter faces a number of charges after alleged drunken incident

Le'Veon Bell ran in two touchdowns as he broke the Pittburgh record for the most yards in a postseason match (Getty)

Le'Veon Bell spent the last two Januarys watching helplessly while the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to make a deep postseason run without him. The slippery running back made up for lost time Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

So did Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, the other members of Pittsburgh's "Big Three" together in the playoffs for the first time.

Pounding away relentlessly at a defense that hardly seemed interested in stopping him at frigid Heinz Field, Bell ran for a franchise postseason record 167 yards and two scores as the Steelers overwhelmed the beaten-up and mistake-prone Miami Dolphins 30-12 on Sunday.

"We wanted to go out there and make a statement," Bell said.

Bell, Brown and Roethlisberger, who wore a walking boot on his right foot afterwards, more than wiped away the bitter taste from a 30-15 whipping at the hands of the Dolphins in mid-October. Given a shot at redemption, Pittsburgh didn't let it go to waste. The Steelers (12-5) led by two touchdowns before the game was 10 minutes old on long touchdown passes from Roethlisberger to Brown. Miami never got closer than 11.

"Le'Veon was beastly," said Brown, who finished with five receptions for 124 yards and the two scores. "All day, controlling the line of scrimmage, just running guys over and finding a way to put the ball in the end zone. Any time he's playing like that, we're going to be a hard team to beat."

Certainly, at least, teams like the Dolphins (10-7). Given a chance to prove their first playoff berth in eight years wasn't a fluke despite being outgained and outscored during the regular season, Miami never found a rhythm. The problem wasn't the single digit wind chill or a vicious hit absorbed by quarterback Matt Moore in the second quarter as much as it was the Steelers.

Ben Roethlisburger insisted he is fit to face the Kansas City Chiefs next weekend (Getty)

Pittsburgh sacked Moore five times, forced turnovers on three consecutive possessions in the middle of the game, and never really let the Dolphins up off the deck.

"It's hard to win when you turn the ball over," said Moore, who completed 29 of 36 passes for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception. "In the playoffs, you can't make mistakes and that's on me."

Pittsburgh (12-5) ran off its eighth straight victory to set up a visit to AFC West champion Kansas City (12-4) next Sunday. The Steelers rolled by the Chiefs 43-14 on Oct. 2.

"We have to understand the same passion and dedication that we put in this week to beat Miami, that's how Kansas City is going to try to beat us," Bell said.

At least Bell will be around for the challenge. He missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons with knee injuries. All he did in his postseason debut was break Hall of Famer Franco Harris' team mark for yards rushing in a playoff game. Harris ran for 158 yards in a Super Bowl win over Minnesota 42 years ago. Bell reached that total by the end of the third quarter.

Head coach Mike Tomlin may be without Porter on the sidelines against the Chiefs (Getty)

The Dolphins tried to hype themselves up by running around in shirt sleeves in the single-digit wind chill during warmups. Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier did them one better, racing around shirtless — as if to send a message that his team is plenty comfortable playing this time of year.

It sure looked like it.

The Steelers scored on their first three possessions, and Miami's playoff victory drought was well on its way to 17 years and counting.

Roethlisberger completed his first 10 passes and finished 13 of 18 for 189 yards with two scores and two interceptions. He tweaked his ankle while throwing an interception on Pittsburgh's penultimate drive. He sprinted off the field afterward and said he will be ready to go against the Chiefs.

Steelers’ assistant Porter arrested

Pittsburgh assistant coach Joey Porter is accused of assaulting a doorman at a Pittsburgh bar just hours after the team's wild-card win over the Miami Dolphins.

The alleged incident happened Sunday night following the Steelers' 30-12 victory over the Dolphins in the opening round of the NFL playoffs.

Police said security guards at The Flats on Carson summoned a police officer who was working at a nearby restaurant "due to an unruly customer who was in the process of assaulting the doorman."

Steelers' assistant coach Joey Porter was arrested after the win over Miami (Getty)

Police said the officer stopped the assault and arrested the customer, who was later identified as the 39-year-old Porter, a former star player.

Porter was taken to the Allegheny County Jail. He faces charges including aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. It is unclear if he has an attorney who can comment on the charges.

"We are aware of an incident tonight involving Joey Porter. We are still gathering information as it pertains to the situation, and we will have no further comments until we get more details." The Steelers said in a statement.

Porter, who is currently the team's outside linebackers coach, spent 13 seasons as a linebacker playing with Pittsburgh, Miami and Arizona.

The Steelers will visit the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs.

AP