On Thanksgiving, the Green Bay Packers trounced the Miami Dolphins 30–17, one of their best games to date.
A number of players had outstanding performances, and the offence, defence, and special teams all contributed significantly to the victory.
Jordan Love, the starting quarterback, finished 21 of 28 passes for 274 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 129.9. It was his third straight game with a passer rating above 100 and his second straight game without throwing an interception.
On a night when many people questioned if the Packers’ linebackers would perform well enough to win, Isaiah McDuffie and Quay Walker led the defence. Together, they recorded three tackles for loss, 20 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble.
Brandon McManus and Robert Rochell excelled on special teams. Despite the cold, McManus was flawless on his field goal and extra point tries, and Rochell recovered a fumble in the first quarter that led to Green Bay’s first touchdown.
Matt LaFleur, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, is annoyed by one thing.
Even while the team’s victory over the Dolphins on Thanksgiving was a fantastic example of complementing football, the game was far from clean. Green Bay’s seven penalties for forty-four yards were examples of an issue the Packers have had throughout the season.
Green Bay’s defensive line struggles to line up onsides for some reason.
The Packers have the most defensive offsides in the league with eight calls, according to NFL Penalties. Each team’s average in the NFL is 3.16.
On Thanksgiving, Devonte Wyatt (encroachment) and TJ Slaton (neutral-zone violation) were both reported.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber, head coach Matt LaFleur is not happy with how frequently his team is flagged for the same offence every week.
“The only thing I would say we need to improve on is making sure we line up onsides.” LaFleur remarked following the game, “It feels like Groundhog Day.”
He elaborated on his remark on Monday, stating, “No, it’s really annoying.” You must have consciousness. I suppose we need to drill it further. At practice, I had the opportunity to get referees to spot offsides in players. I told those guys, and it’s clear that telling is insufficient. We must begin consulting with the authorities. We are going to die because it has gotten that bad.
Yesterday, it caused us pain. On the defensive end of the ball, there is one thing that we must definitely fix. Shoot, they had a chance to make the field goal. After we jump offsides and get them to fourth-and-nine, they opt to go for it and convert. Even though we were fortunate enough to hold them to three, you should never put yourself in those circumstances, especially when playing against elite football teams.
When the Packers play the 11-1 Detroit Lions on Thursday, they will be facing a very strong football club. By then, hopefully, they will have figured it out.