The Green Bay Packers kept their season alive with a comeback win over the Chicago Bears in Week 13 and a one-sided victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night at Lambeau Field. Once 4-8, the Packers are now 6-8 and attempting to win five straight games to get to 9-8 and provide a realistic shot at making the postseason.
Wins over the Bears and Rams were absolutely necessary, but the real test for the Packers is coming up on Christmas Day.
The Bears and Rams are 7-21 this season. Both are mathematically eliminated from the postseason. Winning in Chicago has become routine for the Packers, and the Rams were without Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald.
The Miami Dolphins will test the Packers in ways the Bears and Rams couldn’t.
Week 16 takes the Packers on the road (to Miami) to face a playoff-caliber team (No. 7 seed in the AFC) while dealing with a rest disadvantage (Dolphins played on Saturday, Packers on Monday) and a significant upgrade of offensive firepower.
The Dolphins rank ninth in scoring and second in yards per play. Tua Tagovailoa has 24 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. Tyreek Hill (1,529) and Jaylen Waddle (1,117) both have over 1,000 receiving yards. Raheem Mostert (the noted Packer killer) is heating up as a runner.
The Dolphins have lost three straight games on the road against teams currently in the playoffs, but they will return home to South Beach and welcome the Packers, who played in the cold on Monday night and will be at a big disadvantage in terms of rest and prep on a short week.
Miami has speed everywhere on offense, a creative and bold playcaller and a strategically sound run game. Mike McDaniel helped craft game plans that shredded the Packers to pieces while in San Francisco, and you can be sure he’ll be ready to throw the book at Joe Barry come Christmas.
The Packers’ season is at a fork in the road.
Lose in Miami, and the chances of making the playoffs might reach zero. All it takes is a Commanders win over the 49ers and a Packers loss to the Dolphins for Green Bay to be officially eliminated. Even just a Packers loss would make the playoff scenarios too improbable to even ponder.
Win in Miami, and everything suddenly looks much, much different. The Packers would be 7-8 and returning home with a season-changing win in tow and a chance to welcome the Vikings and Lions to Lambeau Field for a two-game stretch to end the season.
The benefit of playing on Christmas Day is the Packers will know much more about their position come Sunday. The Commanders (at 49ers), Giants (at Vikings) and Seahawks (at Chiefs) all play on Saturday. If all three lose, the Packers would be suddenly sitting in a terrific spot.
But none of it will matter if the Packers can’t go into Miami and beat the Dolphins.
Will the Packers unwrap a special win on Christmas Day? Or is coal sitting in the Packers stocking? So many answers to questions about the 2022 Packers are coming in five days.
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