Packers gift their fans a victory over Miami on Christmas Day
The Packers have now won 3 in a row and are 7-8 after their 26-20 road victory over the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day.
The Dolphins got the ball and drove down the field but had to settle for a field goal. Keisean Nixon took the kickoff 93 yards, but the offense stalled, leading to a field goal. The teams traded touchdowns and the game was tied 10-10. Miami scored the next 10 points, but the Packers got a field goal before halftime and trailed 20-13. The Packers scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half and tied the score at 20-20. Tua Tagovailoa threw 3 interceptions on 3 straight possessions in the fourth quarter, and the Packers got field goals on the first 2. On the third interception, Aaron Rodgers knelt down to end the game.
Thoughts about this exciting win:
Nixon continues to amaze on special teams. He deserved a better fate than just a field goal on his 93-yard kickoff return. Unfortunately, he had to leave the game later with an injury. Christian Watson also got injured in the game.
That fake punt in the second quarter was a disaster. It had little chance of working with the way Miami was lined up. Dallin Leavitt was stuffed for no gain at the Packers’ own 20 and Miami had all of the momentum. Thankfully, the Packers were able to hold them to only a field goal.
It wasn’t looking good late in the first half. The Dolphins were up 20-10 with the ball and looking for more, but Jarren Reed was able to force a fumble on Raheem Mostert and recover the ball, giving the Packers a scoring opportunity before halftime and getting the ball to start the second half. That was especially sweet because Mostert was a thorn in the Packers’ side going back to his days with the 49ers. The Packers got a field goal by Mason Crosby before the half ended.
Marcedes Lewis continues to make plays on the field. He caught a wide-open touchdown pass on fourth down and also had a great 31-yard reception in the second half. Replays showed he probably didn’t complete the process of a catch, but the Dolphins failed to challenge and the play stood.
Rodgers continues to have tough luck with interceptions. It’s possible the defender interfered with Allen Lazard on this interception, but the play stood. Thankfully, Tua threw an interception on the very next play to Jaire Alexander. The Packers got a field goal to go ahead 23-20.
On the next drive for Miami, Tua threw another interception, this time to De’Vondre Campbell. I was hoping they would score a touchdown or run out the clock, but they did neither. A.J. Dillon was close to getting a first down if not a touchdown late in this drive, but he was tripped up and they had to settle for a field goal and a 26-20 lead with just over 2 minutes remaining.
On Miami’s possession, Tua threw a third interception, this time to Rasul Douglas. If you remember, Douglas made the game-saving interception on Christmas Day last year vs the Cleveland Browns. He was quite a pickup last year.
With this win, Matt LaFleur still has not lost a December game as the Packers’ head coach. That streak will carry on for another season.
As I mentioned in my preview article, the Dolphins have won the first 8 meetings between the 2 teams. The Packers didn’t record their first win over Miami until 1997. The Packers, however, have won the last 3 meetings and 6 of the last 8.
The important thing is the Packers got the victory and the teams they needed to lose this weekend all lost. I would certainly call that a Merry Christmas. They are not out of the woods yet. They now have their next two games at home vs divisional opponents. They host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday in the late afternoon game. The Vikings would certainly like to win that game and knock the Packers out of playoff contention. Let’s not give them that pleasure.
I hope you all got some nice gifts and more importantly, spent some nice quality time with your loved ones. Have a great week Packer fans! We are not done yet!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackerFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
