NFL 2024 Thanksgiving: Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa look to unravel cold weather tale against Green Bay Packers | NFL news

On By Littum

A freezing, potentially snow-covered Lambeau Field awaits Tua Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins as they look to bury their cold weather misfortune when they take on the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Thursday.

Tagovailoa has revived Miami’s playoff hopes since returning to the lineup following his absence with a concussion earlier in the season, becoming one of the NFL’s most effective 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 expected 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. “Then let’s go. Bring it on.”

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Granted, marquee injuries down last season would play a role, but Miami’s 2023 campaign was notably brought to a screeching halt in brutal deficits against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead during the playoffs.

Head coach McDaniel played down his team’s cold-weather discourse as he welcomed the Thanksgiving spotlight and an opportunity for Miami to truly reignite their postseason aspirations by improving to 6-6 with a win.

“I just had to keep ice cubes in my pockets and throw them at players all week,” McDaniel said of how he prepared his players. “It’s not revolutionary. I’m not going to throw it out there to the world and act like we’ve ticked the box ‘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’ll always say you can’t before you can.

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“I think you just have to understand what it is and not make it a thing, because to me that’s really what we’re talking about? We’re talking about playing a game of football in a really, really cool environment that I think of all the places to play in the cold weather, you think of the cold at least in Lambeau.

“You can’t avoid — you can’t escape history and I know our guys will be exposed to 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 straight wins, including four scores in last weekend’s 34-15 win 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 of a Dolphins offense that had looked lost, and at times aimless, during his absence, sparking a return to relevance for the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to threaten a playoff surge during the second half of the season.

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Jameis Winston starred in the snow as the Browns beat the Steelers last week — could we see similar conditions at Lambeau Field?

“Having Tua back has completely changed what they do on offense,” Sky Sports NFL’s Phoebe Schecter said 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 done a phenomenal job and all these pieces of the puzzle are coming together, but the question is can they do it in the cold.

“I know it seems pedantic, but when you grow up playing in the heat all the time and you hit the cold outdoor weather, it changes you, you harden right away. The way you catch the ball is different, all the elements counting up.

“That means you have to be super creative and find ways to get your guys going early against a Green Bay team that looks in shape despite some questionable throws from Jordan Love.”

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San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers highlights from Week 12 of the NFL season

The Packers will host the Dolphins on the back of dismantling the San Francisco 49ers 38-10 last Sunday, with Josh Jacobs rushing 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 hasn’t thrown an interception, coming in 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,” Schecter added. “You can see how that helps a young quarterback.

“I think they’ve been able to answer the questions in a really nice way that shows they’re developing and building.

“It’s all the right puzzle pieces and a defense that will keep you in the game. I’m going for Green Bay in this one.”

Watch Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears from 5.30pm on Thanksgiving Thursday live on Sky Sports NFL, followed by Dallas Cowboys v New York Giants and Miami Dolphins v Green Bay Packers; The Kansas City Chiefs face the Las Vegas Raiders at 8:00 PM on Friday