Likes and dislikes from the Miami Dolphins loss to the Packers

Going into halftime Sunday, the Miami Dolphins were ahead of the Green Bay Packers 20-13. The offense was making big plays and scored on four of their seven first-half possessions. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was an astounding 9-for-12 for 229 yards and a touchdown. Things were going very well and it looked like a very Merry Christmas in South Beach. Then the second half happened, and that’s when the wheels fell off and the bottom fell out. When the clock hit zero, the Dolphins lost 26-20.

The Dolphins went from a team poised to make some noise in the playoffs to one riding a four-game losing streak and holding on to the No. 7 seed for dear life. If the season ended today, the 8-7 Dolphins would squeak into the playoffs. The teams behind them are the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Pittsburg Steelers, who all currently sit at 7-8, while the 9-6 Los Angeles Chargers are right above them with the No. 6 seed. If the Dolphins make the playoffs — far from a guarantee now after Sunday’s loss —, they get to face Patrick Mahomes and the juggernaut known as the Kansas City Chiefs.

Coming off a performance like this with two weeks remaining and two divisional games left on the schedule, what started as a feel-good season could have an extremely disappointing and anticlimactic ending. That said, there were positive takeaways as well. Here are the things to like and dislike from Miami’s Week 16 loss to Green Bay.