The third and final Thanksgiving football offering looks like the best one. The 5-6 Miami Dolphins, on a three-game winning streak to revive their season, take on the formidable Green Bay Packers, one of the league’s best teams at 8-3. The Packers are favored at home.
With freezing temperatures and double-digit wind speed expected for kickoff, the Dolphins find themselves shivering fish, err mammals, out of water. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is 0-7 in cold weather games of 40 degrees or less, per Pro Football Talk. Here is a meaningful opportunity to flip the script — with a win on Thursday night, Miami will be firmly in the playoff race after its nightmarish first half of the season.
The Dolphins have scored 34 points in back-to-back games. But those were against the Raiders and Patriots, who have a combined record of 5-18. It’s still a resilient effort from this banged-up group. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill is playing through a wrist injury, and tackle Terron Armstead is battling knee trouble. Of course, Tagovailoa missed five weeks after suffering a concussion.
Both defenses are solid. Miami is 10th in yards allowed per play; Green Bay is 11th. The Packers are tied for the second-most takeaways in the league. Safety Xavier McKinney leads the way with seven interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love is looking to cut back on the turnovers himself. He has tossed 11 interceptions in nine outings, after throwing that many in a full 17-game rookie season. The Packers are a good ground team, with their talented and clever offensive line paving the way for the fourth-most rushing yards in football. Josh Jacobs has 480 yards and seven total touchdowns in his last five games.
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NFL Week 13 odds, picks for Thanksgiving Day games: Lions-Bears, Cowboys-Giants, Packers-Dolphins
