The Miami Dolphins entered Week 13 with a 5-6 record and an opportunity to get back to .500 on the season. After falling to 2-6, every game counts for Miami. And the Dolphins have looked like contenders since quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s return from the IR in Week 8. However, the team failed to improve its playoff chances on Thursday night after getting dominated by the Green Bay Packers 30-17.
After the game, Dolphins’ defensive leader Calais Campbell lamented the 20 tackles Miami missed in Week 13, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques on X. “That’s the game, right there… When we have opportunities to make tackles in critical situations, we have to make plays,” Campbell said.
“If we’re playing our best ball, we can beat anybody. But today was definitely not our best ball,” Campbell added, via Pro Football Network’s Adam Beasley.
Although the 17th-year veteran has lost a step since winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he’s still an important contributor to the Dolphins’ defense. The team had an opportunity to trade the 38-year-old defensive tackle to the Baltimore Ravens but head coach Mike McDaniel fought hard to keep the six-time Pro Bowler, believing Miami can make a playoff run and recognizing the role Campbell would play in that process.
Calais Campbell and the Dolphins’ defense came up short in Week 13
Miami’s defense has been solid overall this season. The team ranks inside the top nine in the league against both the pass and the run. However, the Dolphins have not consistently gotten to the quarterback in 2024, ranking 28th with just 21 sacks through 12 games.
That weakness once again reared its head in Miami’s Thanksgiving night matchup against the Packers. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love operated with impunity for most of the contest. He completed 21/28 passes for 274 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. And the Dolphins failed to sack Love a single time.
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The lack of pressure allowed the fifth-year passer to pick apart Miami’s defense, averaging an exceptional 9.8 yards per attempt. While the Dolphins were successful at stymying Josh Jacobs, holding the All-Pro RB to just 2.3 yards per attempt, the Packers racked up 114 total rushing yards and Jacobs punched in a goal line score in the first quarter.
Tagovailoa was forced to air it out as the contest got out of hand quickly with Green Bay taking a 24-3 lead into halftime. He completed 37 passes for 365 yards and two scores with no turnovers. After going 3-2 in five starts since returning from a four-game absence due to another concussion, Tagovailoa wasn’t able to rally the Dolphins in Week 13.
The Packers were without three key players Thursday night. The defense was missing cornerback Jaire Alexander and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper while wideout Romeo Doubs was also sidelined. Despite playing shorthanded, Green Bay got the win, improving to 9-3 and keeping pace with a highly-competitive NFC North.