GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hopes to continue his hot streak in the cold when he and the Miami Dolphins visit Lambeau Field for a Thanksgiving night matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Tagovailoa has thrown a combined seven touchdown passes without an interception in his past two games, home victories over Las Vegas and New England. He could have a tough time keeping up that pace at Green Bay, where the Thanksgiving forecast calls for high temperatures in the 30s and lows in the mid-20s.
The Dolphins have lost their past 11 regular-season or postseason games in which the kickoff temperature has been below 40 degrees, according to Sportradar. The Dolphins’ most recent victory in a game with a kickoff temperature at 40 or lower was a 34-31 overtime triumph at Buffalo on Dec. 24, 2016.
“We’re obviously nowhere near the temperatures where all these other cold teams play at being in Miami, where it’s 80,” said Tagovailoa, who grew up in Hawaii and attended college at Alabama. “Sometimes it gets down to 50, but it just gets nowhere near the teams that make it in long stretches. To me it’s just a mindset, that’s really all it is.”
Tagovailoa already has faced much worse conditions.
He went 20 of 39 for 199 yards with one interception and one touchdown last season when the Dolphins lost a playoff game 26-7 at Kansas City, where it was minus-4 degrees at kickoff with a wind chill of minus-27. Tagovailoa wore a glove on his right hand that night but said he probably won’t do that Thursday.
“I think for a lot of our guys last time that were able to play in that game against Kansas City, it kind of gave you a different perspective of what cold really was,” Tagovailoa said.
The Dolphins (5-6) are seeking their fourth straight victory. The Packers (8-3) have won their past two games, including a 38-10 blowout of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
This marks the first time the Dolphins have faced the Packers since a Christmas Day 2002 game in which Tagovailoa threw three fourth-quarter interceptions. Green Bay rallied for a 26-20 road win, and it was later determined that Tagovailoa had sustained a concussion during that game.
The Packers realize they’ll face a major challenge containing him and the Dolphins speedy receivers Thursday. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Tagovailoa is “as good as it gets in this league” at throwing with anticipation.
"When the ball’s coming out as quick as it does with him and he puts it on the money, it gives those guys the opportunity to run after catch," LaFleur said. "And we all know the speed that these guys have — it’s unlike probably any team in the National Football League."
Tagovailoa remembers how competitive practices at Alabama were with former college teammates Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney. Jacobs, a running back, and McKinney, a safety, are with the Packers.
“Those were fun practices,” Tagovailoa said. “Being able to go against those guys, I know ‘X’ knows what he’s going to get out of me, and I know exactly what he’s going to bring to the table, too.”
McKinney is tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions this season. Jacobs is third in the NFL with 944 yards entering Week 13.
This marks the second straight year the Packers have followed up a Sunday game by playing on Thanksgiving. They’re hoping to match the success they had last year, when they won 29-22 at Detroit four days after beating the Los Angeles Chargers at home.
“We know what we have to do,” Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker said. “Just from us getting a whole bunch of mental reps, we’re going to come out and play fast on Thursday."
Miami’s Jonnu Smith has 188 yards receiving on 15 catches with three touchdowns over his past two games.
During Miami’s three-game winning streak, Smith has more catches (18) and targets (23) than Tyreek Hill (15 catches on 18 targets) and Jaylen Waddle (13 catches on 18 targets), Miami’s two leading receivers last season.
The Packers have their own quality tight end in Tucker Kraft, who scored his sixth touchdown of the season Sunday.
Green Bay’s victory over the 49ers improved LaFleur’s regular-season record to 64-30. He has tied Bill Cowher, Mike Holmgren and Andy Reid for the second-highest win total by a head coach in his first six NFL seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The record is owned by George Seifert, who had a 75-21 regular-season record from 1989-94, his first six seasons as the 49ers coach.
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AP Sports Writer Alanis Thames contributed to this report.
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