Studs and duds in the Dolphins’ 30-17 loss vs. Packers in Week 13

Earlier this week, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told reporters he was excited to go to Lambeau Field and slay narratives. After a 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers, that criticism goes nowhere.

On a cold, windy night with a few snow flurries, the Dolphins were bullied by the Packers.

Miami made tons of mistakes early and dug into a 24-3 hole in the first half. While the Dolphins put together a much better second half, their hopes of an improbable comeback came emphatically close as Miami failed to score on three straight plays from the Packers’ 1-yard line.

A team that hasn’t won games in the cold seemed to be affected by the cold. A team that has been called soft looked soft. And a team that hasn’t beaten good teams was easily handled by a contender.

Dud: Dolphins that tackle

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A Dolphins defense that took issue with DeShon Elliott characterizing the team as “soft as (expletive)” sure looked soft Thursday. On a chilly night in Wisconsin, Dolphins defensive players struggled to bring down Packers players.

Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, wide receiver Jayden Reed, running back Josh Jacobs and former Dolphins running back Chris Brooks were bullies. Miami simply didn’t match the effort. Jalen Ramsey, who has earned a reputation as one of the more physical defensive backs in the NFL, was especially ineffective at bringing down Packers players.

Dud: Dolphins special teams

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The Packers started the game by returning the opening kickoff 43 yards. Just a few plays later, sixth-round rookie Malik Washington muffed a punt inside the Dolphins’ own 10-yard line. It was a brutal start on special teams that played a direct role in Miami starting the game in a 7-0 hole before it even had a possession.

Stud: TE Jonnu Smith

Despite early penalties, Smith was fantastic Thursday. The veteran tight end remains the most reliable threat in the Dolphins offense and finished the loss with 10 receptions for 113 yards — a career high. He is now Miami’s reception leader this season and is also just six yards behind Tyreek Hill for the team’s yardage lead.

Dud: Dolphins defensive injury report

A Dolphins defense that was missing linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. and cornerback Kendall Fuller from its starting lineup, added injuries to cornerback Kader Kohou, cornerback Cam Smith and linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

The severity of those injuries remains to be seen, but it’s bad news for a Dolphins defense that’s falling apart at the wrong time.

Stud: QB Tua Tagovailoa

Tagovailoa has become the poster child for the Dolphins’ cold-weather struggles, and plenty of critics were happy to dunk at quarterback Thursday night. But he is near the bottom of the list of players to blame for the loss.

The Dolphins quarterback completed over 80 percent of his passes for 365 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a 114.2 passer rating. Granted, many of those numbers came in garbage time, but it wasn’t Tagovailoa missing 20 tackles, fumbling a punt or burying offensive drives with penalties. It also didn’t help that he was sacked five times by an occasional Packers pass rush completely abolished.

Dud: Dolphins run game

Raheem Mostert had a run of 12 yards, but his other four carries combined for just seven yards. De’Von Achane had a 13-yard run and managed just one yard on his other six carries. Combined, the pair of Dolphins running backs (neither Jaylen Wright nor Jeff Wilson Jr. had a touch Thursday) averaged 2.8 yards per carry. carry.

An inability to get a push in short-yardage situations is nothing new for the Dolphins, and that problem reared its ugly head when the team needed a single yard near the goal line late in the game.

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Studs and duds in the Dolphins’ 30-17 loss vs. Packers in Week 13