The Green Bay Packers escaped Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with a come-from-behind victory over the Dolphins on Christmas Day. The 26-20 win improved the Packers’ record to 7-8 and extended the team’s win streak to three games, ensuring Green Bay will be right in the hunt for a wildcard spot in the NFC over the final two weeks of 2022.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Packers’ 26-20 win over the Dolphins:
The Good
Final 32 minutes. At the two-minute warning of the first half, the Dolphins had the football at the 49-yard line up 20-10. Over the 32 minutes, the Packers went on a 16-0 run to win the game. Jarran Reed created the game-changing play by forcing a fumble and setting up a field goal before the half, allowing the Packers to cut the lead to 20-13 and eventually tie the game with a touchdown drive to start the third quarter. The Dolphins, who were threatening to go up 27-10 in the first half, never scored again. The Packers delivered four takeaways and four scoring drives to create the comeback.
The Bad
Injuries to key players. The win came at a cost. Four starters left with injury and didn’t return: defensive lineman Dean Lowry (calf), right tackle Yosh Nijman (shoulder), kick returner Keisean Nixon (groin) and receiver Christian Watson (hip). It’s unclear at this point how severe the individual injuries are, and how long each individual player will miss moving forward. The offensive line certainly took a hit when Royce Newman replaced Nijman, and Watson and Nixon are two of the team’s best playmakers. Lowry’s injury allowed for more snaps for first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, who impressed over the second half. Can the Packers go 2-0 over the final two weeks without these four starters?
The Ugly
Allowing big plays. The Dolphins created nine plays of 15 or more yards, including an 84-yard touchdown from Jaylen Waddle and a 52-yard catch by Tyreek Hill to set up another touchdown as Miami created a 20-10 lead. Of Tua’s 310 passing yards, 221 came on his six longest completions. He ended up averaging 12.4 yards per attempt and 19.4 per completion, both crazy numbers. The Dolphins also got runs of 17, 14 and 12 yards from Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson. To the Packers’ credit, the Dolphins only had four plays of at least 10 yards during the second half, and six of the nine plays of 15 or more yards came in the first half. The Packers were fortunate to only give up 20 points during the first 30 minutes, but the recovery over the final 30 helped create the win.
