Dolphins’ poor performance vs. Packers on Thanksgiving was a familiar tale

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins entered Thursday’s game against the Green Bay Packers with hopes of altering two recurring narratives: the criticism surrounding their inability to win in cold weather and their struggles against winning teams.

Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they were unable to dispel these narratives on Thanksgiving, suffering a 30-17 defeat that halted their three-game winning streak in a storyline that has become all too familiar in recent seasons.

“That’s the thing with narratives,” Coach Mike McDaniel stated after the loss. “There’s one way to change them … if you prove the naysayers right, they’ll be louder. That’s part of the territory. You carry that until you do something about it, and unfortunately, we didn’t tonight.”

Last season, the Dolphins managed to win 11 games, yet six of their seven losses came against teams with winning records at the time, including a first-round playoff exit. In 2023, they managed to defeat only one team with a winning record—Dallas—in Week 16.

This year’s pattern reflects the previous season’s struggles: Miami’s five victories came against teams with .500 records or worse at the time of their matchups. They have yet to find success against winning teams, going 0-4 and being outscored 115-57 in those contests.

“In the National Football League, you learn hard lessons a lot,” McDaniel remarked, reflecting on his team’s difficulties. He holds a dismal record of 1-10 in his last 11 games against winning teams. “We’ll hear about all the implications of this loss, and I’d rather have it that way. I want things earned, not given, and we have work to do to earn what our goals are.”

Self-inflicted mistakes plagued Miami early in the game against Green Bay.

Within the first five minutes, rookie Malik Washington muffed a punt, giving the Packers excellent field position at the 9-yard line, leading to an easy touchdown. Following that, the Dolphins were penalized three times on their opening drive due to two false starts and an unnecessary roughness penalty involving tight end Jonnu Smith and a Packers defender.

As a result, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found himself in a 14-point hole before he even recorded an incompletion—he completed his first nine passes.

“The things that we progressed on, we somewhat ended up digressing within the first half,” Tagovailoa said. “Pre-snap penalties and operational issues that we thought we had improved. Outside of those, our performance didn’t match our usual style of football.”

Earlier in the season, Miami did a commendable job minimizing penalties. However, against the Packers, the Dolphins accrued ten penalties for a loss of 75 yards, a significant increase compared to their three-game winning streak, where they averaged just eight penalties for 55 yards.

“That’s another microcosm of the issue,” McDaniel noted. “We can’t expect to have similar results as before while taking such a significant step back.”

Both McDaniel and Tagovailoa downplayed the impact of playing in cold weather conditions, citing the 27-degree temperature (-2.7 Celsius) at Lambeau Field and wind chill factors. The Dolphins, having lost their last 12 games in temperatures 40 degrees or below, now stand at 0-12 in such conditions.

Other players were more candid in their assessment.

“I feel like we let the elements control the way we played,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks stated. “As a group, I thought we were soft. Simple as that.”

Despite some early misthrows, Tagovailoa finished the game with impressive stats: 365 yards passing and two touchdown passes. Since returning from a concussion in Week 8, he has thrown 13 touchdown passes and only one interception.

The Dolphins, who previously enjoyed five games with over 100 yards rushing this season, struggled tremendously against the Packers, managing only 39 rushing yards at an average of 2.8 yards per carry. Refining their running game will be critical as they have not surpassed 100 rushing yards in their past four games, with only one instance of over 70 yards during that span.

Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill contributed positively, catching six out of nine targets for 83 yards and his fourth touchdown of the season, marking his highest reception yardage since an outing against Buffalo in Week 9.

Despite the performance from Hill, overall, the Dolphins’ offense appeared to regress from their earlier form exhibited during the three-game winning streak.

The already depleted secondary faced further challenges as nickel corner Kader Kohou (back) and cornerback Cam Smith (shoulder) were injured. Starting cornerback Kendall Fuller remained inactive for the third consecutive game due to a concussion, and Brooks, who played every snap prior to Thursday, was hurt in the third quarter.

Miami’s struggles continued as the team went just 4-14 on third downs, a stark decline from their previous five games where they had converted 55% of third downs, second best in the league during that stretch.

Additionally, according to Next Gen Stats, the Dolphins’ defense missed a staggering 20 tackles.

“That’s the game right there,” defensive tackle Calais Campbell commented. “Twenty missed tackles make it hard to win.”

The Dolphins will host the struggling New York Jets (3-8) next Sunday, followed by another chance to turn their fortunes around against winning teams with a matchup at Houston (7-5) in Week 15.