MIAMI GARDENS, Florida. – The Packers, beneficiaries of the results of the Christmas Eve games, played their part beat the Dolphins 26-20 On Sunday. Green Bay (7-8) overcame a 10-point deficit in the second quarter, intercepting Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three times and scoring 16 unanswered points to close the gap in the last NFC wildcard spot.
Green Bay still needs extra help to overtake Washington (7-7-1) but ended December with three straight wins.
“I don’t think we struggled with confidence, but we definitely didn’t have a lot of believers outside the locker room, I don’t think, so maybe that gets us a few on the train,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, “But we did were in a good rhythm, practicing energy, cohesion and playing slightly better complementary football.”
The Packers end the regular season with home games against NFC North champions Minnesota and a 7-8 Detroit team also chasing the playoffs, though the Lions’ loss to Carolina on Saturday helped Green Bay gain ground.
The win would also see the Packers eliminate Seattle (7-8) on a better conference record if both finished 9-8.
“We just have to win,” said Packers defenseman Rasul Douglas, whose last interception from Tagovailoa under two minutes sealed the win. “Not too far off from everyone doing what they’re supposed to do, we know it’s all on us.”
Meanwhile, the Dolphins ended December without a win — a big change from five weeks ago when the Dolphins (8-7) shared the AFC East lead with the Buffalo Bills. With four straight losses, Miami has barely equaled third place in the AFC wildcard.
But the Dolphins have also benefited from the losses of others: Division rivals New England (7-8) have lost back-to-back and the New York Jets (7-8) are four games behind.
The Dolphins visit the Patriots on Sunday and end the regular season Jan. 8 at home to the Jets.
“I would say it’s easy to maintain the confidence of this group,” said Tagovailoa. “We all believe in each other. We all love each other. We are all invested in each other. I don’t think it’s time to blink. We just keep going and we learn from it. We have another strong team that we have to play.”
Even with a win against New England, the Dolphins are not guaranteed a place in the playoffs. If the Jets win in Seattle on Sunday, they can secure last spot with a win over Miami on Jan. 8. The Jets would eliminate Miami by winning their two division games.
“Nothing has really changed other than the fact that we want to get rid of that feeling,” said Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. “We have to wait another week to try to get it right.”
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