GREEN BAY, Wis. -- At least one Miami Dolphins player believed the team allowed the cold temperatures to dictate its performance in Thursday's 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Dolphins missed 20 tackles in the loss, which directly led to 132 additional yards for the Packers. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks bluntly said he thought the mid-20-degree temperatures played a role.
I thought we were soft," Brooks said after the game. "Simple as that, I thought we were soft today. I don't know if guys was too cold. ... I don't know what it was. I feel like the elements played a part in how we played as a group, and that was the result that we got."
After going five straight games without allowing an opponent to rush for 100 yards, the Dolphins allowed 108 rushing yards in the first half Thursday. They also allowed Green Bay to average more than 7 yards per play and failed to force a turnover for the first time since Week 8. Though Miami outscored the Packers 14-6 in the second half, the poor defensive effort and 24-3 first-half deficit were too much to overcome.
Defensive linemen Calais Campbell grimaced when told the final number of missed tackles after the game. "That's the game right there, man. Twenty missed tackles -- it's hard to win," he said. "I think it was one of those days where what could go wrong, went wrong. ... I don't ever want to make excuses, but I felt like today, the ball bounced their way and they made the plays to win the ball game. When we had our opportunities to make tackles in critical spaces, we have to find a way."
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/42675212/cold-weather-affected-dolphins-lb-jordyn-brooks-says
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