Earlier this week, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told reporters he was excited to go to Lambeau Field and . After a 30:17 defeat against the Green Bay Packers, these points of criticism are indispensable.
On a cold, stormy night with a few snow flurries, the Dolphins were bullied by the Packers.
Miami made a lot of mistakes early on and fell into a 24-3 hole in the first half. While the Dolphins put together a much better second half, their hopes of an improbable comeback were dashed when Miami failed to score on three consecutive plays at the Packers' 1-yard line.
A team that didn't win games in the cold seemed to be affected by the cold. A team that was described as soft looked soft. And a team that didn't beat good teams was easily defeated by a competitor.
Unexploded bombs: dolphins in duel
This was the Packers' 7th explosive (gain of 12+ yards) designed run to a WR this season, the most in the NFL (per ).
The Lions are in 2nd place with 4, 11 teams have 0. Jayden Reed has 5.
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice)
A Dolphins defense that struggled with DeShon Elliott characterizing the team as such Thursday. On a chilly Wisconsin night, the Dolphins' defensive players struggled to bring down the Packers' players.
Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, wide receiver Jayden Reed, running back Josh Jacobs and former Dolphins running back Chris Brooks were bullies. Miami simply wasn't up to the task. Jalen Ramsey, who has earned a reputation as one of the more physical defensive backs in the NFL, was particularly ineffective when it came to bringing down Packers players.
Dud: Dolphins special teams
“That’s exactly what we’re talking about when this South Florida team comes to Lambeau Field. 27 degrees, the snow, the wind.”
Jason Garrett on Malik Washington's botched punt – which led to a Packers touchdown.
– Awful Announcement (@awfulanncreasing)
The Packers started the game by returning the first kickoff 43 yards. Just a few plays later, sixth-round rookie Malik Washington botched a punt inside the Dolphins' own 10-yard line. It was a brutal start for special teams, which played an immediate role in Miami, starting the game in a 7-0 hole before it even had possession of the ball.
Breeding stallion: TE Jonnu Smith
Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Despite the early penalties, Smith had an outstanding performance on Thursday. The veteran tight end remains the most reliable threat on the Dolphins' offense and finished with 10 receptions for 113 yards – two career highs. He is now Miami's all-time leader in receptions this season and is also just six yards behind Tyreek Hill for the team's yardage lead.
Dud: Dolphins defensive injury report
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
A Dolphins defense that was missing starting linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. and cornerback Kendall Fuller caused injuries to cornerback Kader Kohou, cornerback Cam Smith and linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
The severity of these injuries remains to be seen, but it's bad news for a Dolphins defense that's falling apart at the wrong time.
Stud: QB Tua Tagovailoa
Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Tagovailoa has become the poster child for the Dolphins' cold weather woes, and so have many critics about the quarterback on Thursday night. But he is at the bottom of the list of players responsible for the defeat.
The Dolphins quarterback completed over 80 percent of his passes for 365 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 114.2. Granted, many of those numbers fell in the wrong direction, but it wasn't Tagovailoa who missed 20 tackles, fumbled a punt, or negated offensive tackles with penalties. It didn't help that he was sacked five times by an occasional Packers pass rush .
Dud: Dolphins Run Game
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Raheem Mostert had a 12-yard run, but his other four carries combined for just seven yards. De'Von Achane had one run for 13 yards and managed just one yard on his other six carries. Overall, the Dolphins' running backs (neither Jaylen Wright nor Jeff Wilson Jr. got a touchdown on Thursday) averaged 2.8 yards per carry.
It's nothing new for the Dolphins to be unable to apply pressure on short yardage, and that problem reared its ugly head when the team needed a single yard near the goal line late in the game.
