The Green Bay Packers secured their third straight win with a dominant 30-17 win on Thanksgiving against the Miami Dolphins. Previously, the Dallas Cowboys also won their turkey feast assignments against the New York Giants and the Detroit Lions against the Chicago Bears.
Matt LaFleur’s team set the tone early as they quickly took the lead after a special teams error by the Dolphins. Wide receiver Jayden Reed scored two touchdowns while the Packers reached the end zone three times in the first half and had 102 rushing yards, led by running back Josh Jacobs. Quarterback Jordan Love successfully distributed the ball to multiple receivers while the defense put constant pressure on Miami’s quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Packers defense hasn’t allowed 20 points since their bye week.
For the Dolphins, the game began with costly mistakes that kept them behind the rest of the game. Despite a late second-half rally in which Tagovailoa racked up 365 passing yards, the Dolphins failed in key moments, including an unsuccessful attempt from the 1-yard line. With a record of 5-7, Miami remains in the race for the AFC playoffs, but remains two games behind its direct competitors for a wild card ticket.
The Packers’ victory paves the way for a crucial matchup with the Detroit Lions next Thursday. The Packers, currently 9-3, could keep their chances at the NFC North title alive with a win against the 11-1 Lions. A loss, on the other hand, would all but ensure that Green Bay would have to play away in the wild card round if they make the playoffs.
What was particularly noteworthy was the efficiency of the Packers offense. According to Next Gen Stats, players forced 20 missed tackles and set season highs in yards after contact (6.1 per carry) and yards after catch (188). Josh Jacobs stood out as he was able to avoid ten tackles and made a decisive contribution to the success. NFL Research also shows Jacobs reached a historic mark with his fifth straight game of over 100 scrimmage yards. This is the longest streak by a Packers player since Eddie Lacy in 2014 and shares the 2024 lead with Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson.
Week 13 at a glance
- Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions 20:23
- New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys 20:27
- Miami Dolphins @ Green Bay Packers 17:30
- Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs -:-
- Los Angeles Chargers @ Atlanta Falcons -:-
- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals -:-
- Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars -:-
- Arizona Cardinals @ Minnesota Vikings -:-
- Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots -:-
- Seattle Seahawks @ New York Jets -:-
- Tennessee Titans @ Washington Commanders -:-
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers -:-
- Los Angeles Rams @ New Orleans Saints -:-
- Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens -:-
- San Francisco 49ers @ Buffalo Bills -:-
- Cleveland Browns @ Denver Broncos -:-
About the author
Dirk Kaiser has been active in the field of American football on many levels for over 20 years. In addition to the NFL, he also covers the ELF and GFL for TOUCHDOWN24.
