Dolphins vs. Packers notes: Fins fail to win in cold, plethora of secondary injuries
The Miami Dolphins haven’t won any of their last six games in freezing temperatures.
They left Green Bay 0-7.
The narrative that the Dolphins can’t beat good team or win in the cold is very much so alive and well after Thursday’s 30-19 loss to the Packers.
“That’s the thing with narratives,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “There’s one way to change them.”
The Dolphins offense seemingly reverted to pre-Tua Tagovailoa ineptitude in the first half. Not only could they barely move the ball, the amount of penalties were jaw-dropping.
“I think some of the things that we progressed on, we somewhat ended up digressing within the first half,” Tagovailoa said, specifically pointing to the penalties. The quarterback, however, had another efficient night, completing 80% of his passes for a season-high 365 yards and two touchdowns. “Just the operation wasn’t our style of football.”
With just five games left, the Dolphins will likely have to go undefeated in order to make the playoffs. Two of those games, however, will be in Cleveland and New York. How the Dolphins will respond if the temperatures are below freezing will be crucial.
“We didn’t come all this way to have this stop us,” McDaniel said. “Yeah, your margin of error is smaller but tough-minded individuals can learn from the things that kept us from the victory column this game and utilize it in the last five games.”
Secondary woes:
Dolphins cornerbacks couldn’t catch a break.
Miami came into Thursday night already down starting cornerback Kendall Fuller. But by the time the final buzzer sounded, the Dolphins had lost two more corners in Kader Kohou and Cam Smith.
“Lower back,” McDaniel said of Kohou’s injury. “He cleared concussion protocol but it was his lower back. We’ll find out some more information tomorrow.”
On Smith’s injury, McDaniel said that “his shoulder came out.”
“He was in a good amount of pain,” McDaniel added. “We’ll see what that looks like tomorrow.”
Tackling issues:
The Dolphins couldn’t tackle to save their lives.
They missed a season-high 20 tackles which allowed the Packers to run rampant all over the Dolphins.
“That’s the game right there,” defensive tackle Calais Campbell said. “20 missed tackles, it’s hard to win. It was one of those days where what could go wrong went wrong.”
Alec Ingold returns home:
For the second time of his career, Ingold will play at Lambeau Field.
The fullback grew up in Green Bay and was a huge Packers fan. NBC did a deep dive into his upbringing, including the fact that he was adopted.
“Going back to Green Bay on Thanksgiving family in the stands, it’s going to be special,” Ingold told NBC. “You talk about being able to see myself in some of these kids. I think there’s going to be a stadium full of fans that are going to see themselves out on that football field. Those moments can change people’s lives. That’s what Thanksgiving is going to mean.”
Jonnu Smith sets new career marks:
Over the last few weeks, the tight end has been phenomenal — not just for the Dolphins but by his own metrics.
That trend continued against the Packers as he caught 10 balls for 110 yards. His 10 catches tied Mike Gesicki for the most receptions by a tight end in Dolphins history since 1970.
Additionally, Smith set a new career high for receiving yards (645) and receptions (58). He also eclipsed the 3,000 mark for career receiving yards.
Shaq Barrett not returning to Dolphins:
The Dolphins decided not to activate the two-time Pro Bowler off of the reserve/ retired list.
Barrett signed with the Dolphins in the 2024 offseason but abruptly retired right before training camp. Earlier this week, however, Barrett decided to return to football. The Dolphins, however, opted to not add him to the active roster and don’t intend to release him either.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Running back De’Von Achane reached 1,000 scrimmage yards for the first time in his career.
▪ Outside linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah reached 300 career tackles.
▪ Tagovailoa had the 15th 300-yard game of his career.
▪ Outside linebacker Quinton Bell started the first game of his career. He recorded four tackles.
▪ Safety Patrick McMorris played his first NFL game.
