The weather outside was frightful but the game for the Green Bay Packers was delightful. They stuffed their faces and enjoyed a late-night Thanksgiving feast Thursday, complete with inclement weather, big reaches and some awkwardness in the later parts of the meal.
By halftime, the Packers had a three-touchdown lead, 24-3, over the Miami Dolphins, who were not prepared for the conditions. By the time the clock hit zero, it was a 30-17 win at the ‘Frozen Tundra’, Lambeau Field. They moved the rock at will on offense, while their stifling defense had no mercy on a Miami team struggling to put together drives in below freezing temperatures, with egregious errors including a muffed punt just moments into the game. It was the same song, but a different verse for the Dolphins in cold weather.
The temperature was a frigid 27 degrees at kickoff and only got colder from there. The Dolphins’ most glaring mistake came on a straight muffed punt that set up the Packers in outstanding field position for their first touchdown of the evening, and there was no comeback in store until after halftime, when Miami had a chance to regroup and make adjustments.
“I would say, from my standpoint and our team’s standpoint, we’re not going to use any of that as an excuse for why we didn’t get the start that we wanted,” said Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was 37 of 46 for 365 yards with two touchdowns despite getting sacked five times, but they just could not get the ground game going when it mattered.
The second half provided some suspense and drama when the Dolphins found the endzone and converted the two-point attempt to cut the deficit to 16, 27-11. They soon reached the red zone again and were all the way down at the 1-yard line on second-and-goal.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe next three plays ended in complete disaster for the visitors with a rush for no gain, an incomplete pass, and a sack.
Jordan Love finished the game with 21-of-28 passing for 274 yards and two touchdowns, while the Green Bay run game posted 114 yards. The Dolphins’ usually potent offense was not totally frozen in their tracks.
“To be able to come in here, get the win, get the turkey leg after, it was very delicious,” said Love. “Just a little something to celebrate.”
Green Bay is playing three games in a 12-day stretch. The Packers demolished the San Francisco 49ers 38-10 who were playing without quarterback Brock Purdy on Sunday and will visit the 11-1 NFC North-leading Detroit Lions next Thursday night.
“I thought we played well for it being a short week,” Packers safety Xavier McKinney said. “I thought we came out there and had the right mindset. And we started fast, and that was the key to today’s win.”
The loss is devasting for the Dolphins, who are now two games behind the Denver Broncos for the final playoff spot at 5-7. One thing that is on their side is that they have a favorable final five games of the season (Jets, Texans, 49ers, Browns, Jets), but they will likely need help from other teams even if they win out.
“We fought hard,” Dolphins defensive lineman Calais Campbell said. “We have no quit in us. I really genuinely believed we were going to give ourselves a chance to win at the end.”
Meanwhile, the Packers move to 9-3, which is still only good enough for third in a top-heavy NFC North. The 11-1 Lions, who defeated the Chicago Bears earlier on Thursday, remain stay two games ahead, while the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings face Kyler Murray and the 6-5 Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
