The Green Bay Packers can start planning their flights and hotel stays when the NFL drops the full schedule reveal on Thursday. While they don't know the when quite yet, they do know who they will be playing and where. And a home game against the Miami Dolphins, projected to be one of the league's worst teams next season, could be a lot tougher than it might seem.
Packers fans are all too familiar with the team's struggles as big favorites last season. Let's not relive the Browns game. Or the Panthers. Or the overtime game against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Head coach Matt LaFleur compared the final offensive play to watching a slow-motion car crash.
The Dolphins matchup will incorporate that pitfall as well, with a twist. Head coach Jeff Hafley, the former Packers defensive coordinator, will be revved for a road game against his old team. Same goes for Malik Willis in his first stint as a starting quarterback after two years backing up Jordan Love. That's one game the Fins already have circled.
Packers must beware falling asleep against Jeff Hafley's Dolphins
There are practical components of the matchup that will make it tougher on the Packers, not just narrative elements of debatable impact. Hafley knows LaFleur's offense quite well from his two years in Green Bay. That will be a chess match worth watching.Â
Depending on when the game falls on the schedule, the Packers may not have the same advantage. While LaFleur and his staff are familiar with Hafley's preferences and inclinations, the ex-DC is working with a completely different personnel group in Miami.Â
If the matchup comes early in the year, there won't be much tape on how Hafley calls plays as the head coach of the Dolphins. Whatever tricks LaFleur has up his sleeve, Hafley would have an advantage.
For his part, Willis would love to put on a show for his former fans at Lambeau Field, proving himself worthy of his new three-year, $67.5 million contract as a starter. Aside from running back De'Von Achane, the Miami offense hardly lavishes Willis with weapons, but he can always trust his legs. That's something that will burn Packers defenders if they lose track of him.
An early-season game could benefit Miami in another important aspect. Team morale could dip for the Dolphins if the losses start piling up. Earlier in the year, however, motivation should still be high, and spirits fresher. Regardless of when the game is played, Hafley will have his guys ready.
From a Packers perspective, it would be easy to overlook a date with the lowly Dolphins sandwiched between matchups with, well, literally any of their other home opponents. Coming off a grueling division game, it might seem like a relief. It already feels like a sleepy spot where Green Bay will be favored by a touchdown or more.
Going up against Hafley and a young, hungry team is all the more reason why the Packers can't get caught napping.
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