GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ playoff hopes will be on the line Christmas Day when they play the Dolphins in Miami. At 6-8, the Packers don’t have any room for error.
The Packers might catch a break with the weather. Sunday’s forecast for Miami calls for temperatures only in the 50’s and a good chance of rain.
Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur admits this is an interesting holiday week to navigate. He even joked that he was oblivious.
“Is it Christmas? Obviously, there's a lot of distractions this time of the year,” said LaFleur. “It’s how you manage that. And I know for myself, it's nice that I've got a lot of people around me to to help me through that. And so I can focus at the, you know, at the task at hand. And it’s a tall task.”
LaFleur worked with Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel in Houston, Washington and Atlanta.
“He's a pretty entertaining guy,” said LaFleur. “He's very quick witted, but he's a really good person that cares a lot. He cares a lot about people, cares a lot about the game and the job. And he does a great job. He's super thorough, very intelligent. I've got as much respect for him as anybody, just in terms of how he handles his business, and the position, and his football mind. He's a super creative guy. I think you can see that, in terms of some of the stuff they put on tape this year.”
The Dolphins are 8-6, but have lost their last three games. That doesn’t mean that LaFleur’s respect for the Miami team has diminished.
“It's a really good football team that we're going against,” said LaFleur. “Obviously, they're very hungry. They've got a lot at stake. We've got a lot at stake. And it should be a playoff-type game. It's going to be a great challenge for us, just in terms of being able to limit those explosive plays and really slow down the offense.”
For the Packers’ last two games of the season (home against division rivals Minnesota and Detroit) to matter, they have to win Sunday.