Dolphins Frozen Solid Against Packers On Thanksgiving Night

GREEN BAY, WI – When faced with the narrative that the Miami Dolphins can’t play well against good teams or in the cold, that narrative was unfortunately proven right once again. Despite entering Lambeau Field on a hot streak, the Fins froze over against the Green Bay Packers by 30-17, a sour way to end Thanksgiving.

This would have been a competitive game if the first half did not exist. The Dolphins did not look ready to play on both sides of the ball, as the offense was stagnant and the defense couldn’t stop Green Bay’s offense. A 24-3 deficit is hard to overcome in any level of football, and tonight’s game was no exception.

Eventually, the offense found its rhythm and saw a spark, but it was too little, too late. A solid performance from Tua Tagovailoa was negated by a barrage of penalties – 10 total. A subpar running game and some disastrous turnovers – one a fumble, the other a goal-line stand – stopped a few drives.

Not Wishing It Was Colder

On paper, Tua’s stats would make you think this was a blowout. With 357 yards off of 36 completions, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, I don’t think it’s fair to blame this loss on him. Now, it has to be acknowledged that a good chunk of these stats were in the late third and fourth quarters when the game was just about out of reach. Still, he was serviceable enough.

Tua swings it to Achane who turns up the speed for the @MiamiDolphins first TD of the night!

📺: #MIAvsGB on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/LqCwEKkmUb

— NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2024

A group that can’t say the same was Miami’s offensive line. After buying Tua plenty of time in their past three games, they fell flat against Green Bay’s defense. With five sacks allowed, including one on fourth and goal, they let Tua down in that regard. Overall, his time to throw tonight was extra limited. Tua is usually regarded as having a fast release, but even he needs some time for plays to develop.

I don’t know what it is about these cold weather games that can make Miami’s running game falter, but it happened again. Only 39 rushing yards were recorded tonight. A big reason is the nine tackles for a loss from Green Bay’s defense. Regardless, the offensive line didn’t do a good job of creating gaps for De’Von Achance and company.

The Tryptophan Didn’t Help

Miami’s defense has no answers for Jordan Love and Green Bay’s passing game, creating a massive deficit for their offense. To their credit, they made adjustments in the second half and limited Green Bay to six total points. Still, the damage was done. Unless you’re the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, a 24-3 deficit is near-impossible to come back from.

Did the cold affect the Dolphins in this game, or were they severely unprepared for the Packers? It could be one or the other, but it’s a loss regardless. It was another bad loss on a nationally televised game as well, with it being on Thanksgiving nonetheless.

More than anything else, it’s frustrating to know that these annoying narratives about the Dolphins will continue to linger from losses like these.

The only positive is that the Fins will have plenty of extra rest. Their next contest will be back in warm, sunny South Florida on December 8th against the New York Jets.