NFL Week 13 picks: Colts, Broncos, and Seahawks
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his best bets for NFL Week 13 games, including Thursday’s Thanksgiving slate.
Lorenzo’s Locks
The Miami Dolphins enter Thanksgiving thankful to still have a fighting chance in the 2024 playoff race. That said, they will be facing one of their most difficult tests yet in Week 13 when they take on the Green Bay Packers.
The Dolphins are traveling north to Green Bay on the short week to face the Packers on Thanksgiving night. The contest is going to be the coldest one that Miami has played this season, and while the rest of the forecast doesn’t look bad, the temperatures could be enough to quash the momentum the Dolphins have built on their three-game winning streak.
How cold is it going to be in Green Bay, and is there any chance we could get a second consecutive Thursday snow game? Here’s what to know about the weather in Green Bay on Thanksgiving.
The Packers vs. Dolphins game is expected to be played in cold-weather conditions on Thursday night. Temperatures will drop below freezing by game time and could go as low as 19 degrees during the evening.
There isn’t likely to be snow during the game, per Weather.com, but steady winds of 10-15 mph will blow throughout the contest. The wind and cold may make it more difficult to throw and catch the ball than usual, so each team may rely more on its running game.
Miami is coming from a warm-weather climate, so this contest figures to be particularly difficult for the Dolphins. They may be able to adjust to the conditions, but it will be worth watching how their players fare in pregame warmups and what measures they are taking to combat the cold.
The same can be said of the Packers players, but they should be better prepared to deal with the harsh, late-Fall nights that are customary in Green Bay.
It’s going to be cold during the Packers vs. Dolphins Thanksgiving game, according to Weather.com. Below are the full details of Thursday’s forecast for Green Bay:
That cold weather could have a negative impact on the Dolphins, who have yet to play a game featuring a starting temperature lower than 54 degrees, per data from Pro Football Reference. Add in that Miami has won just once in the last 32 years when the temperature is lower than 23 degrees, and this short-week spot looks quite difficult for them.
The silver lining is that wind and precipitation don’t figure to be much of a problem for the Dolphins on Thursday night. Below is a look at the hourly Green Bay forecast for the contest, per AccuWeather:
Earlier in the week, it looked like there was a chance that NFL fans would be treated to a second consecutive Thursday night snow game. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you view it), it doesn’t look like that will be the case.
There is just a 3% chance of snow during Thursday’s game, per Weather.com. Perhaps that will change in the lead-up to game time, but it seems unlikely that there will be significant precipitation during the contest.
Tagovailoa has struggled in cold-weather games throughout his career. He has an 0-7 record in games where the temperature is 45 degrees or lower, and he has posted a passer rating of just 71.13 in those contests.
Below is a look at Tagovailoa’s stats in those seven games:
Comparatively, Tagovailoa has a record of 36-16 in his 52 other starts and has thrown 87 touchdowns compared to 32 interceptions. That’s good for a passer rating of 101.35.
The big drop-off in Tagovailoa’s game could spell trouble for the Dolphins if temperatures stay low on Thursday night.