The Miami Dolphins organization has been reasonably dubbed Packers South in recent months. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley started the pipeline, but it didn't stop there. The headliner of Miami's free agent haul was quarterback Malik Willis.
By now, everyone knows that his wildly impressive, though extremely limited, sample size came when he was donning the green and yellow. Tight end Ben Sims, defensive lineman James Ester, and defensive backs Zayne Anderson and Omar Brown also joined the contingent.
As fate would have it, the Dolphins' quadrennial matchup with the NFC North (Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings) coincides with Hafley's inaugural season in charge. This means he will get a chance to not only revisit some familiar rivals, but also return to the stadium he called home from 2024–2025. Ditto for Malik Willis.
This was already on Hafley's radar, as back in March he told ESPN's Rob Demovsky that he hoped the Dolphins would head to Green Bay in Week 1. Naturally, you may be wondering why. Well, it's because the Packers' best defender, Micah Parsons, might not be ready to play yet. In fact, Adam Schefter just shed new light on the subject, reporting that Parsons is expected to miss the beginning of the season and may wind up on the PUP list to start the year.
Micah Parsons will likely be available for the Miami Dolphins–Green Bay Packers matchup, as well as frigid temperatures, because of course
In any case, the league that has seldom done the Miami Dolphins any favors won't be starting now. With the Dolphins reportedly heading to Green Bay for their Week 15 tilt, not only will Parsons have had loads of time to be back healthy, but he'll also have had time to knock off any rust. That's not all, though.
December 20, the day the game is scheduled to be played, historically bears temperatures between 19 and 32 degrees in Green Bay, according to AccuWeather. The NFL heard the Dolphins couldn't swim in ice and thought, "We'll see about that." After the Mike McDaniel era that saw folks call the Dolphins soft in droves, Hafley will have no shortage of opportunities to shed that label in cold climates. The Dolphins will also head to Buffalo, Denver, and New England, all after the calendar passes mid-November.
While the schedule is simply a list of opponents and places to play, the NFL could do teams favors in subtle ways. By sending Miami to Green Bay in mid-December, the NFL has made clear thatno one should confuse the Dolphins for one of the league's preferred teams.
Alas, this is exactly what fans should want. There are no shortcuts to success. In 2023, fans were burned by a team that could beat up on the league's doormats but got handled by contenders and cold-weather teams. Despite working with a roster that's the equivalent of one hand tied behind his back, Hafley should relish the chance to prove his Dolphins are made of the right stuff.
Of course, it's much easier to say that from the climate-controlled living room where most fans watch from. Hafley and Willis are going to have to do it the hard way.
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