Miami Dolphins-Green Bay Packers Week 16 Five Biggest Storylines
The Miami Dolphins dropped to 8-6 on the season when they loss, 32-29, against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night.
Ahead of the matchup, we offered our weekly ranking and analysis of the five biggest storylines, and now it’s time to revisit those to see how they played out:
1. Home Sweet Home
If it seems like it’s been forever like the Dolphins have played at Hard Rock Stadium, well, it’s because it’s been a while. While the opposition has had something to do with it, it’s pretty obvious that they have played much better football at home than on the road this season. The Dolphins are 11-1 in their past 12 games at home, and home-field advantage undeniably will be a factor in this game.
2. Tua vs. Rodgers
This matchup will feature an interesting QB matchup between future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and breakout star Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins are 0-2 against Rodgers, losing in 2014 and 2018, but this also is the best team they have had going against him. And Tua obviously is a big part of that, and he figures to play a key role if the Dolphins are going to defeat Rodgers for the first time.
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3. X on the Watson Watch
A big reason for the Packers’ offensive resurgence in recent weeks has been the performance of rookie second-round pick Christian Watson, the wide receiver from North Dakota State who has eight touchdowns in the past five games. Xavien Howard was a surprise Pro Bowl selection this week, but this would be a good game to remind everyone why he got the reputation that earned him that Pro Bowl rep by helping shut down Watson.
4. Looking for a Raheem Repeat
The Dolphins got a huge performance from Raheem Mostert against the Bills last Saturday night, highlighted by a 67-yard run in the first quarter, and it’s a favorable matchup for the Dolphins running game against a Green Bay defense that ranked 29th in the league in rushing yards allowed. Keeping Rodgers on the sideline certainly is one way to help minimize the damage he can do.
5. The Dolphins on Third-and-Short
While it’s fair to give a tip of the hat to Josh Allen for the 32-29 loss at Buffalo, it’s probably more accurate to say the Dolphins missed an opportunity to complete their season sweep of the Bills because they were so bad in third-and-short situations. The Dolphins offense went 1-for-6 on third-and-3 or shorter, while Buffalo was 5-for-6 with the one miss coming at the end of the game when Allen kneeled right before the game-winning field goal. It’s pretty obvious to suggest the Dolphins will need to do much better against Green Bay.
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