A freezing, potentially snowy, Lambeau Field awaits Tua Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins as they seek to bury their cold weather misfortune when they take on the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Thursday.
Tagovailoa has reignited Miami’s playoff hopes since returning to the line-up following his absence with a concussion earlier this season, becoming one of the NFL’s most efficient passers to inspire a three-game winning streak.
He enters Thursday night 0-7 in games where the temperature has been 40 degrees or colder, with the weather in Green Bay forecast to drop as low as 20 degrees (-6 Celsius) with a high of just 31 (0.5 Celsius).
“I’m excited to kill narratives,” Tagovailoa said this week. “So let’s go. Bring it on.”
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Granted, marquee injuries down the stretch of last season would play a contributing role, but Miami’s 2023 campaign was notably brought to a halt in brutal minus conditions against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead during the playoffs.
Head coach McDaniel downplayed his team’s cold weather discourse as he welcomed the Thanksgiving spotlight and an opportunity for Miami to truly revive their postseason ambitions by rising to 6-6 with a victory.
“I was just going to carry ice cubes in my pockets and throw them at players all week,” said McDaniel on how he was preparing his players. “It’s nothing revolutionary. I’m not going to throw it out there for the world and act like we’ve checked the box of ‘we’ve got this answered.’ It’s a football game.
“How do I feel about narratives? I’m very comfortable with narratives because I think they’re very predictable and retroactive, so what else would you expect – they will always say you can’t until you can.
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“I think you just have to understand what it is and not make it anything because to me it’s really what are we talking about? We’re talking about playing a football game in a really, really cool environment, one that I think out of all the places to play in the cold weather, you think about the cold probably the least in Lambeau.
“You can’t help but – you can’t escape the history and I know our guys are going to be juiced for just the opportunity to play on Thanksgiving.”
Tagovailoa has completed 77 of 104 passes for 812 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception across Miami’s three consecutive wins, including four scoring passes in last weekend’s 34-15 victory over the New England Patriots. He is the second-highest-rated quarterback since Week Eight with a rating of 116.2.
He has inspired a resurgence from a Dolphins offense that had looked lost, and at times aimless, during his absence, sparking a return to relevancy for the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to threaten a playoff surge over the second half of the season.
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“Having Tua back has completely changed what they are doing on offense,” said Sky Sports NFL’s Phoebe Schecter on the latest episode of Inside the Huddle.
“Waddle is starting to look like the guy we know he can be, tight end Jonnu Smith has been doing a phenomenal job and all these bits of the puzzle are coming together, but the question is whether they can do it in the cold.
“I know it seems pedantic, but when you grow up and play in the warmth all the time and hit that cold outdoor weather, it changes you, you immediately stiffen up. The way you catch the ball is different, all the elements add up.
“It means you have to be super creative and find ways to get your guys going early against a Green Bay team looking on form despite some questionable throws from Jordan Love.”
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The Packers will host the Dolphins on the back of dismantling the San Francisco 49ers 38-10 last Sunday, during which Josh Jacobs rushed for three touchdowns and more than 100 yards to continue his impressive first season with the team.
It also served as the first game this season that quarterback Jordan Love has not thrown an interception, having entered with 16 touchdowns to 11 picks through eight games.
“Jacobs has changed the game for them, and looking at Matt LaFleur and how he game plans, Jacobs is one of the top three backs in the league right now,” added Schecter. “You see how that helps a young quarterback.
“I think they’ve been able to answer the questions in a really nice manner that shows they are progressing and building.
“It’s all the right puzzle pieces and a defense that will keep you in games. I’m going for Green Bay in this one.”
Watch the Detroit Lions against the Chicago Bears from 5.30pm on Thanksgiving Thursday live on Sky Sports NFL, followed by the Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins against the Green Bay Packers; the Kansas City Chiefs face the Las Vegas Raiders at 8pm on Friday