GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa had spoken about how the Miami Dolphins had an opportunity this week to change the narratives suggesting they couldn’t play well in freezing temperatures.
But the Dolphins ultimately came up short in the cold once again in a 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night amid light flurries.
The Dolphins (5-7) have lost their last 12 regular-season or postseason games in which the kickoff temperature was at 40 degrees (4.4 Celsius) or lower. The kickoff temperature at Lambeau Field was 27 degrees (-2.7 Celsius) with 10-mph winds and a wind chill of 18.
Miami’s most recent victory in a game with a kickoff temperature at 40 or lower was a 34-31 overtime triumph at Buffalo on Dec. 24, 2016.
The Dolphins likely will need to end that skid to have any chance of earning a third straight playoff berth. Miami closes the regular-season with consecutive road games against the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.
The temperature Sunday was a far cry from what the Dolphins encountered in the wild-card round of the playoffs last year. The Dolphins’ 2023 season ended with a 26-7 loss at Kansas City, where it was minus-4 degrees (-20 Celsius) at kickoff with a wind chill of minus-27.
While the weather didn’t seem to have a direct impact on the Dolphins’ play, they weren’t nearly as sharp as they’d been throughout a three-game winning streak that had rejuvenated their playoff hopes.
Tagovailoa was 37 of 46 with 364 yards and threw two touchdown passes, but he was sacked five times and didn’t get much help. But he didn’t get enough help as the Dolphins had to play catch-up after the Packers took a 24-3 lead in the game’s first 37½ minutes.
A muffed punt by Malik Washington gave the Packers first-and-goal to set up Green Bay’s first touchdown. The Dolphins were penalized six times in the first half alone.
The Dolphins settled for a field goal on a goal-to-go situation in the first half and failed to score at all after having second-and-goal at the 1 in the fourth quarter.
A Miami defense that already was playing without linebacker Anthony Walker and cornerback Kendall Fuller lost nickel Kader Kohou and cornerback Cam Smith to injuries.
Perhaps it’s fitting that in the cold weather, the Dolphins apparently took 2½ quarters to get warmed up.
Miami has enough firepower to rally from just about any deficit, and the Dolphins threatened to make this game interesting in the fourth quarter.
But their problems in the red zone proved costly.
The Dolphins scored a touchdown, forced a punt with a third-and-1 stop of Josh Jacobs and then drove down the field again and had second-and-goal on the 1 early in the fourth quarter.
That last yard proved elusive.
De’Von Achane got stopped on second down. Tagovailoa couldn’t connect with Jonnu Smith on third down and then got sacked on fourth down.
The Packers put the game away from there. The Dolphins were left out in the cold again.
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