Scooter & Hum: Day 1,724, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Packers Game 12 Review

On Thanksgiving Day, Miami got yet another opportunity to change the narrative about its ability to compete against good teams and in cold weather. Instead, the 'Fins laid a predictable egg, falling to 1-10 in their last 11 games against teams with winning records and suffering its 12th straight loss when the temperature is below 40 degrees.

The Dolphins were dramatically outcoached yet again, having very little answer when Green Bay took away chunk plays. The Packers were more physical and were largely able to sit back and watch the visitors implode on missed tackles and penalties (10). The home team also got a highly favorable whistle -- they were lined up in the neutral zone on almost every defensive snap -- and imposed their physicality on the 'Fins, who seemed to shrink from Green Bay's borderline cheap play.

To compound matters, linebacker Jordyn Brooks characterized Miami's play as "soft" after the game, voicing a common external refrain about the team in a very internal way.

On to the do-they-have-anything-left recap ...

Offense

Miami tallied 375 total yards, but averaged just 5.8 yards per play and 6.6 yards per pass. The 'Fins ran just 14 times for 39 yards (2.8 yards per carry), misfired on 10 of 14 third-down attempts, scored touchdowns on only half (two of four) of its red-zone visits, and committed two delay-of-game penalties. The Dolphins did convert three of five fourth-down tries, but putting together double-digit-play drives is a really hard way to win. Coach Mike McDaniel's inability to find ways to stretch the field vertically has really waylaid this campaign.
Tua Tagovailoa's ended up looking good, as he hit 37 of 46 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns, without committing a turnover. He also ran twice for six yards, was sacked five times, struggled to see blitzes late in the game, and got away with a couple of risky throws. His 73.7 grade from Pro Football Focus reflects both his efficiency and his checkdown volume.
De'Von Achane was much more impactful as a receiver than a runner, as he caught eight of nine targets for 56 yards and a touchdown. This production was offset by seven carries for just 14 yards, and his inability to find holes contributed to his 55.4 mark from PFF. Raheem Mostert ran harder, rushing five times for 19 yards and reeling in two of three catches for 15 yards. Rookie Jaylen Wright got the same number of snaps (one) and touches (zero) as Jeff Wilson Jr., who has been inactive for most of the season. Alec Ingold had two early catches for 15 yards, but he went on to play just 18 snaps and earn a 71.5 PFF grade. The weather seemed to require a Mostert-heavy approach in this one, but the running game was abandoned quickly.
At wideout, Tyreek Hill snared six of nine targets for 83 yards and a touchdown (on a batted pass) and committed a shaky-but-costly holding penalty down the field, good for a 68.0 mark from PFF. Jaylen Waddle got just four targets, catching them all for 53 yards (73.4 PFF grade), while Odell Beckham contributed a nine-yard catch on his two targets. Malik Washington had an ugly game, with two catches on four targets for eight yards, plus a drop and a muffed punt for a 45.1 mark from PFF.
Making a bid for team MVP, Jonnu Smith hauled in 10 of 11 targets for 113 yards in his 51 snaps at tight end. However, he did commit three penalties (false start, unnecessary roughness, and offensive pass interference) and fumbled out of bounds, leading to an overall PFF grade of 68.5. Julian Hill (one catch, five yards, 51.8 mark from PFF) and Durham Smythe (14 snaps, eight-yard catch on the game's final play) did not have an impact in this one.
The offensive line struggled in both pass protection and run blocking. Stalwart left tackle Terron Armstead had a respectable showing (76.0 mark from PFF), but left guard Robert Jones (holding penalty, 55.6 PFF grade), center Aaron Brewer (holding penalty, 55.9 mark from PFF), and left guard Liam Eichenberg (holding penalty, 54.8 PFF grade) all struggled mightily against Green Bay's interior players. Right tackle Kendall Lamm suffered elbow and back injuries and had to leave the game early, yielding to rookie Patrick Paul, who was a mess in earning a 61.4 mark from PFF in his 17 snaps. The front is thin and beat up, and the length of the season is clearly taking its toll.

Defense

Similar to a game they had against Indianapolis earlier this year, the Packers just beat up the Dolphins in this one. Green Bay averaged 4.6 yards per carry (114 yards), 9.8 yards per pass, and 7.3 yards per play, racking up 388 total yards and converting five of 11 third-down tries. Miami allowed touchdowns on three of five red-zone visits, did not get a sack or a turnover, and gave up 49- and 46-yard plays in what was a brutal game for the secondary.
As usual, the 'Fins were strongest in the middle, where Zach Sieler (83.2) and Calais Campbell (79.3) earned strong PFF grades. Sieler recorded four tackles, one solo, one stop for loss, one quarterback hit, and had a sack-fumble taken away from him on a poor overturn. Campbell had a pair of tackles, one solo, and one quarterback hit. Da'Shawn Hand had an assisted tackle (67.9 mark from PFF), while Benito Jones played through a back injury that forced him to leave the game at one point, notching a solo tackle, a stop for loss, and solid penetration on multiple plays.
Miami struggled on the edge, especially in run support. Emmanuel Ogbah posted five tackles and one solo, while Chop Robinson did not record a statistic in his 31 snaps, garnering a woeful 41.1 grade from PFF. Quintin Bell made his first start and tallied four solo tackles, continuing his bid to show he deserves more reps.
At inside linebacker, Brooks notched nine tackles, five solos, a stop for loss, and a quarterback hit, good for a 68.2 PFF mark. Making his first start, Tyrel Dodson struggled in a big way, registering 10 tackles and five solos, but missing an inordinate amount of tackles on his way to a 46.0 grade from PFF. With Anthony Walker hurt and David Long cut, the Dolphins have not even considered more action for former third-rounder Channing Tindall, which should tell you how the franchise feels about his future prospects.
Jalen Ramsey had one solo tackle and a pass breakup, but joined his teammates in missing a number of key tackles and also was called for defensive holding, which contributed to his 48.8 mark from PFF. Storm Duck had four tackles and three solos as part of a 31.6 PFF grade, but he was in position to make plays on a number of occasions and was unable to pull the trigger. Kader Kohou (one pass breakup) and Cam Smith (three tackles, two solos, one pass interference, 36.3 grade from PFF) both left injured, forcing Siran Neal into action. He was credited with two pass breakups in 15 snaps, though he was fortunate to avoid being penalized for interference. This unit missed Kendall Fuller again, and the depth was hurt even more due to the injuries to Kohou and Smith. If Duck can learn to trust himself a little more, the 'Fins may have found something there -- he was a half-step away from a pair of pick-sixes in this one.
It was a borderline disastrous day at safety, where Jordan Poyer continued to look his age while collecting nine tackles, two solos, and a 60.1 mark from PFF. Jevon Holland continued a poor contract season, tallying six tackles and four solos as part of a 45.7 PFF grade. The lack of physicality and tackling form at this level of the defense was spotlighted even more due to the weather and Green Bay's bruising style.

Special teams

Jason Sanders was quiet, making a short field goal and not attempting an extra point. However, he also contributed a great tackle on the opening kickoff and delivered a strong onsides kick late in the contest.
Jake Bailey punted three times for a 48.7-yard average, with a long of 53.
Washington's penchant for taking chances caught up to him in this one, as he fumbled away the first punt of the game and fielded another punt around the five-yard line on a play that featured a hold. He also returned four kickoffs for an average of 27 yards.
Bell, Neal, and Duke Riley got 23 snaps in the kicking game to lead Dolphin defenders, while Julian Hill led offensive players with 14. Riley made a tackle on a return, while Neal was whistled for holding on a Miami punt return.

Momentum plays

Three plays into the game, a Sieler sack resulted in a fumble that Campbell jumped on to give the 'Fins the ball on Green Bay's 35-yard line. Without even going to the replay booth, the play was immediately and inexplicably deemed an incompletion. The ensuing punt was muffed by Washington at Miami's 9-yard line, with the exchange robbing the Dolphins of a scoring opportunity and immediately handing one to the home team.
Three plays later, Jordan Love hit a three-yard touchdown pass to put the Packers on top, 7-0.
Back-to-back passes to Achane covered 18 yards to help Miami overcome an early false start, then a Green Bay offsides wiped out a Tua sack. A Miami false start was followed by a negative-yardage run by Tua, which was compounded by a confusing unnecessary roughness call on Smith. The accumulation of penalties resulted in a 4th & 26 punt.
The Packers fashioned a 12-play, 76-yard drive that featured an incomprehensible number of missed tackles and seemed to take the fight out of the 'Fins. To make matters worse, a play that should have resulted in a Kohou interception ended up with an incompletion and a Kohou injury. A 17-yard pass converted a 3rd & 3, then seven straight runs covered the final 41 yards for another Green Bay touchdown and a 14-0 advantage.
The Dolphins responded with a 12-play, 55-yard possession, highlighted by 11- and 13-yard passes to Smith and Ingold, respectively, and a 13-yard run by Achane. In a bizarre sequence, Miami faced a 4th & 4 play, but took a delay-of-game penalty for no reason. Sanders came on for a field goal, but Green Bay jumped offsides. Back at 4th & 4, the 'Fins decided to go for it, and Tua found Waddle for 16 yards. However, Achane lost six yards on an obvious end-around, leading to a 33-yard field goal that made the score 14-3.
A 23-yard end-around by the Packers started the next drive quickly, but Miami stiffened to force a punt that was returned to the 16-yard line, but sent back to the 11-yard line on a Neal holding penalty.
A 14-yard pass to Mostert bought the Dolphins some space, but a Jones holding penalty and a third-down Tua sack led to another Bailey punt.
Former 'Fin Chris Brooks ripped off an 18-yard run to put Green Bay in Miami territory at the two-minute warning. A 21-yard pass to Christian Watson that saw him beat Cam Smith was followed by a 12-yard touchdown toss on 3rd & 2, giving the Packers a seemingly insurmountable 21-3 lead.
The Dolphins picked up an initial first down on a 3rd & 1 pass to Smith, then Tua hit the tight end again for 11 more. However, a 3rd & 5 pass to Washington fell incomplete and a fourth-down ball for Achane also hit the ground.
Taking over at their own 38-yard line with just 27 seconds remaining, the Packers didn't settle. Love hit tight end Tucker Craft on back-to-back plays for a total of 27 yards, then Brooks ripped off an eight-yard run, allowing Green Bay to drill a 46-yard field goal with no time remaining. In a demoralizing performance, Miami trailed 24-3 at the half.
Miami got the ball to start the second half, but a mind-numbing delay of game turned a 3rd & 3 into a 3rd & 8, and Tua misfired for Beckham, who appeared to be held on the play.
After the three-and-out from the 'Fins, Green Bay had back-to-back passes of 46 and 15 yards, but the Dolphins stiffened in the red zone, forcing a 24-yard field goal that made the score 27-3.
A 26-yard run by Mostert was offset on a shaky downfield hold on Tyreek Hill, but Tua found Smith for 16 yards on a 4th & 1 play. The following two plays saw the signal-caller connect with Waddle for 16 and Achane for 14 more and a score on a well-designed screen play. Tua threw a beautiful, on-the-run pass to Waddle, who cradled the ball on the sideline for a two-point conversion that cut the deficit to 27-11.
The first two plays of the following drive saw Duck narrowly miss a pick-six and then Ramsey bat a ball in the air that fell just out of reach. However, a great stop by Jones on 3rd & 1 forced a Packers punt.
Tua got things going quickly with a 13- and 24-yard passes to Hill, then converted a 3rd & 6 with a nine-yard strike to Beckham. Somehow a clear roughing-the-passer penalty on the play was overturned after a conversation among the referees. The quarterback hit Waddle for 12 and Achane ran it for eight more, setting up a 2nd & goal from the one-yard line. Another Achane run went nowhere, then Smith appeared to be interfered with on a rushed third-down pass. On fourth-and-goal, Tua had nowhere to go with the ball and -- unfathomably -- took a sack to hand the ball back to the home team.
A phantom defensive holding call on Ramsey gave the Packers some room, then the refs ignored a clear hold on Sieler, which allowed a 49-yard catch and run that saw Jacobs break five tackles. Miami got a dose of excitement when a sideways pass by Love was mishandled and scooped up by Neal, who ran it back 77 yards for a touchdown before the play was quickly -- and rightly -- overturned to an incompletion. On third-and-goal, Duck tackled the receiver short of the end zone, and a blatant unnecessary roughness penalty on the Packers after the play led to a 33-yard Green Bay field goal to make it 30-11.
The Dolphins began the next drive by allowing a sack of Tua, but he connected with Hill for 30 yards on 3rd & 9 and with Smith for 15 more on 3rd & 1. A dangerous throw to Smith was tipped, but Hill corralled the deflection in the end zone for a score. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful, keeping the score at 30-17, and a pretty good onsides kick by Sanders was recovered by the Packers on a difficult bounce.
With Miami using its timeouts, Green Bay faced a 3rd & 11 on its next possession. Love went deep over the middle, but a hold on Campbell was uncalled and Neal batted the ball away on what could have been a pass interference penalty, leading to a Packers punt.
The 'Fins took over with 1:56 remaining, and Tua found Smith on three passes, covering 26 yards. However, another sack threw the visitors out of kilter, and the clock ran out after an eight-yard pass to Smythe on 3rd & 14.