Loading...
The second half of the NFL season is cruising, as Week 12 wrapped up with the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers in primetime on Monday night. It’s never too early to look ahead at next week’s slate, and one exciting matchup on the schedule is between the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving. The Packers are Thanksgiving Day regulars while the ‘Fins will make just their 8th appearance on the holiday.
Both teams are on two-game win streaks with playoff aspirations, so every game matters from here on out. Let’s preview this Thanksgiving matchup between two high-powered offenses.
Simply put, Tua Tagovailoa’s return saved Miami’s season. Tagovailoa’s scary head injury in Week 2 kept him out of action for four consecutive weeks, resulting in three losses for the Dolphins. When Tua returned, the Fins were 2-4 and out of the playoff picture. However, Tagovailoa has been the savior of their season, as he’s won three of the five games since returning and has led the offense to score 27, 27, 23, 34 and 34 points in that span.
Miami’s Week 12 opponent was divisional rival New England. A struggling Patriots squad allowed 24 points in the 2nd quarter alone, and the Dolphins went on to win the game 34-15. The score makes the game sound closer than it was, considering the Dolphins dominated the game on both sides of the ball from start to finish. Tagovailoa finished with 317 passing yards and 4 touchdowns as Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane and Jonnu Smith all found the end zone.
The Dolphins enter Week 13 with a 5-6 record and on the bubble of the playoffs. Tagovailoa and the Fins need to finish the season strong, and it starts with a Week 13 win over the Packers. It’s a short-week matchup for both teams, as this will be one of the three games on Thanksgiving. Can the Dolphins adjust to the cold weather in Green Bay? That’s the question everyone’s wondering!
A hat trick isn’t too common in football. That said, Josh Jacobs accomplished that feat in Week 12 against the 49ers. The Packers running back finished with 106 rushing yards on 26 carries for 3 touchdowns. He was a primary reason for Green Bay’s 28-point win over San Francisco, which improved their record to 8-3. Their only losses this season have been to the Eagles, Vikings and Lions – all three of those teams are in the playoff picture.
Jordan Love didn’t need to do much in Week 12. He only attempted 23 passes and finished with just 163 passing yards. Still, he threw 2 touchdowns and took care of the football. Green Bay had built such a big lead that Love could take a back seat to the running game in the second half and let Jacobs run wild. That win was two straight for the Packers and their 6th win in their last seven games.
At the moment, the Packers are in the playoff picture and have a 90% chance of advancing past the regular season. It’s not going to get any easier for the Packers down the stretch since they have the Dolphins and Lions in the next two weeks. Will the Packers defense be able to slow down Tagovailoa and the Dolphins?
The weather forecast for Thursday’s game in Green Bay will impact the offenses. The temperature is expected to be around 22 degrees, but the wind chill is supposed to make it feel like 13 degrees. Plus, there’s a chance of snow as well. This will be Tagovailoa’s chance to end the belief that he can’t play in the cold weather.
As for the Packers, I’m expecting them to lean heavily on Josh Jacobs. He’s run for 6 touchdowns in the last four weeks and has racked up over 100 rushing yards in 2 of those games. Plus, Miami’s secondary is solid, so Green Bay might want to keep the ball on the ground more. That should provide plenty of opportunities for Jacobs to find the end zone.
Keith is a sports writer who has evolved into a sports betting personality across social media in the past several years. He specializes in MLB but also writes about the NFL and NBA.