Kelly: Dolphins cower in the cold in loss to Packers | Opinion

No need to change, alter, or add an addendum to any of the narratives circulating about Mike McDaniel’s Miami Dolphins team.

The way the 2024 team performed in Thanksgiving night’s prime time road game against the Green Bay Packers (9-3) verified that everything being said about these Dolphins is true.

“The naysayers, you proven them right, they’ll be louder,” said McDaniel, who team is 1-14 against teams with winning record in his three seasons.

These Dolphins are a soft, undisciplined team that cowers in cold weather, and can only beat mediocre to mid-tier NFL teams.

That’s what Thursday’s 30-17 loss to the Packers confirmed. And Miami’s struggles against a playoff caliber team hint this team’s aspirations of being postseason bound are more of a dream than reality because the intensity gets raised in December.

That’s when the contenders distance themselves from the pretenders.

The Packers, which built a 24-3 lead at halftime and then coasted in the second half, exposed Miami as pretenders because the 14 points the Dolphins scored in the second half fell into the too little, too late category.

“We let the element control the way that we played,” inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks said. “I thought we were soft.

“I don’t know if guys were too cold, but I thought the elements played a part in how we played as a group.”

McDaniel’s loosey-goosey team played an undisciplined game, committing nine penalties that weren’t overturned, returning to the error-prone ways that stifled the season’s start.

It didn’t help that the Dolphins got bullied at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, feeding into the soft reputation that continues to plague McDaniel’s teams.

The Packers gained 102 of the team’s 114 rushing yards in the first half. The Dolphins had 20 missed tackles according to Next Generation stats, which accounted for an additional 132 yards.

The Dolphins managed 39 rushing yards on 14 carries, extending the streak of rushing for less than 83 yards to four straight games.

And a perfect illustration of Miami’s Charmin-soft ways was the fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line sack Miami allowed early in the fourth, squandering a scoring opportunity that could have closed the deficit to single digits.

But that’s becoming the theme of the season, missing opportunities.

“Turnovers, miscommunication, operation [issues], false starts,” left tackle Terron Armstead said. “We put ourselves in a hole against a team that thrives [on playing] with a lead.”

In a game where Miami could have righted all the season’s wrongs, putting the franchise squarely in the hunt for an AFC playoff wild card spot, the Dolphins had their annual implosion.

Whenever the Dolphins need to rise to the occasion this franchise shrinks, failing to capitalize on the opportunity presented to the team.

And it wasn’t just select group players making mistakes. It was everyone.

Rookie receiver Malik Washington muffed first punt of the game, turning possession over to the Packers at the 9-yard line. Three plays later Jayden Reed would score the first of his two touchdowns on a pass from Jordan Love, who finished the game with a 129.2 passer rating.

Armstead, the team’s most reliable offensive lineman, was a factor in back-to-back sacks in the first half.

Tight end Jonnu Smith, whose seven catches for 87 yards set career highs in receptions and receiving yards, committed three penalties in the first quarter.

Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey missed tackles and got flagged for holding.

Cornerback Kader Kohou sustained a back injury, which required Cam Smith to be on the field, and the Packers seemingly targeted him until he sustained a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the rest of the contest.

Tyrel Dodson, who replaced Anthony Walker Jr. as the starting inside linebacker, got juked out his cleats on a career-high 49-yard completion from Josh Jacobs, which was mostly a by production of run after catch.

As much as these Dolphins want to talk about how they are a different team, a tougher team, a team that can compete with everybody, in every weather, that’s little more than empty words at this point because they’ve never been backed them up with action.

And at this point in the season it might be too little, too late.