The Green Bay Packers are one of the best teams in the NFC this year with an 8-3 record. Indeed, their record ranks fourth in the conference behind the Detroit Lions, who are 10-1, and the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles, who are each 9-2.
The Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, are trying to save their postseason chances in the AFC. At 5-6, they have a great deal of work to do in the final six weeks of the season if they are to return to the NFL Playoffs. They are, however, one of the hottest teams in the league, having won three games in a row.
Unfortunately for them, their hot stretch collides with the frigid temperatures of Green Bay, Wisconsin, where the temperature at Lambeau Field is expected to be well below freezing when the two teams cap up Thanksgiving football on Thursday night.
The Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa Have Struggled in Cold Weather Games
According to Sean Labar of The Sporting News, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has not performed well in games played when the temperature is 45 degrees or colder. In fact, he hasn’t one a single such game. He is 0-7.
Miami, in general, has not played well in the cold under head coach Mike McDaniel. He is 0-5, and this includes last year’s NFL Playoffs loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In fact, the Dolphins have not won a game where the temperature was 40 degrees or colder since Christmas Eve in 2016. They are 0-11 in that span.
As one might imagine, one of the narratives surrounding this game is that Tagovailoa and the Dolphins cannot win in cold weather. This is a narrative the Pro Bowl Miami quarterback was referencing when he said that they were exciting to kill some narratives.
Tua Tagovailoa’s Personal Trainer Makes an Uneducated Statement Ahead of Matchup with the Green Bay Packers
On Tuesday, Nick Hicks, who is a personal trainer for Tagovailoa, posted the following message on X (formerly Twitter):
“The entire narrative that The Miami Dolphins can’t play in the cold is so ridiculous. This is not a team that was born and raised in South Florida. It’s not a HS team traveling up north to play a game. These grown men grew up all over the country and played college ball at cold climate college towns. The reason they haven’t been successful in the past is because they just weren’t good enough to beat the teams they played. Period.”
While his point about players being from a variety of climates, his statement is not backed up by facts. As mentioned, the Dolphins have not beaten any team in a cold weather game in nearly eight years.
Of course, this does not guarantee the Packers a win, but it certainly does bear monitoring as Miami makes their push for a spot in the NFL Playoffs.
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