The Miami Dolphins found themselves caught in a frosty grip once again during Thursday night’s Thanksgiving clash against the Green Bay Packers. Not only did they battle the biting 27-degree cold, but they also struggled with the formidable Packers’ ground game, which churned out 114 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, culminating in a 30–17 defeat for Miami.
“You could tell those guys were feeling the cold,” remarked Green Bay’s running back, Josh Jacobs, capturing the essence of the game as the Packers adapted smoothly to the challenging weather. In stark contrast, the Dolphins seemed out of their element.
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks didn’t mince words post-game: “I thought we were soft,” he admitted. “Plain and simple.
The elements definitely affected our performance as a team, and that reflected on the scoreboard.”
The struggles were evident across the board, with Miami missing a staggering 23 tackles according to Pro Football Focus. Dolphins’ head coach, Mike McDaniel, echoed Brooks’ sentiment, pointing to tackling as the central issue.
“I think Jordyn was highlighting our tackling woes,” McDaniel explained. “Over 100 yards of their offensive production came down to missed tackles, which was a team-wide problem.”
Delving into the mechanics of tackling failures, McDaniel illustrated, “We were not bringing our feet through tackles. Instead, I saw players diving in, which is not how we train. Whether the cold played a part, or the stress of a short week, both factors challenged us just as much as they did the Packers.”
While the defensive lapses were glaring, Miami’s offense also faltered at crucial moments. The Dolphins converted just 4-of-14 on third downs and only managed to find the end zone twice out of their four ventures into the red zone.
All in all, the defeat underscores Miami’s ongoing struggles in cold conditions and highlights areas needing urgent improvement if they are to warm up their playoff ambitions.