Miami Dolphins season is on the line in Week 13 versus the Green Bay Packers

The Miami Dolphins are looking for their fourth win in a row in Week 13 versus the Green Bay Packers, and their season is definitely on the line. The team is finding its footing, and with QB Tua Tagovailoa playing some efficient football, many have pegged the Dolphins as a sleeper team down the stretch to slide into the AFC playoff picture.

After three wins in a row, the Dolphins now sit at 5-6 on the season, and they are just 1.5 games behind the Denver Broncos for that seventh and final seed. The Dolphins are playing on Thanksgiving Day this week against the Green Bay Packers, an 8-3 team and one of the more balanced clubs in the NFL.

This could be it for the Miami Dolphins

The main issue here for Miami is that this game is in Lambeau, and it's cold. The Dolphins have simply been unable to play efficient football in cold weather, and it's a legitimate reputation that they have developed over the last few years.

The temperature during the game could drip into the low-20s, which is pretty frigid if you ask me. The Packers obviously have no issues playing in this cold, as this is who they are and who they have always been, but the Dolphins not only have to kick this trend to the curb, but their entire season could be on the line here.

Dropping to 5-7 would drop them to two full games behind the Denver Broncos with just five left to play. Miami's schedule also isn't the easiest down the stretch, either. After Green Bay, they will have to play the New York Jets twice, at the Houston Texans, at home versus the San Francisco 49ers, and at the Cleveland Browns.

Their two remaining divisional games against the Jets could be interesting, and it's not like the Texans and 49ers are slouches. Playing in Cleveland in late-December could also be a huge challenge for this warm-weather team.

To me, this is a must-win game here in Week 13, as they would get to 6-6 and truly get themselves right back in the mix. But them dropping to 5-7 on the season with some not-so-easy games remaining could be too big of a hole for them to dig out of.

And this potentially happening does kind of paint a bigger picture here; had Tua Tagovailoa been able to stay healthy, Miami would probably end up in the postseason. The Dolphins are a great team with Tagovailoa in the lineup, but that's the issue.

For the long-term, how can the Dolphins trust their QB to stay on the field? Their 2024 season could ultimately be ruined because another year went by where their starting QB was incapable of playing 17 games.