The Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins are facing off at 8:20 p.m. ET to wrap up the three-game Thanksgiving slate. The game is on NBC and Peacock, and the Sunday Night Football crew will handle broadcasting duties. However, rather than Cris Collinsworth, Mike Tirico will have a different partner as he calls the game this evening.
Cris Collinsworth Taking Tonight’s Game Off
Football fans are used to hearing Tirico and Collinsworth call games together, but the latter won’t be in the booth for tonight’s Dolphins-Packers game.
Since this same crew will be on the normal Sunday Night Football broadcast this weekend when the Buffalo Bills take on the San Francisco 49ers, Collinsworth is getting Thanksgiving off rather than pulling double duty.
Jason Garrett will be filling in for Collinsworth and serving as Tirico’s partner during the Dolphins-Packers broadcast. Garrett is the former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, so he knows a thing or two about working on Thanksgiving.
It is somewhat surprising that Tirico isn’t also getting tonight’s game off, as he is dealing with a serious injury. During last Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, Tirico revealed that he recently tore his Achilles and needs surgery.
Last Sunday, Tirico was wearing a boot and using a mini bike to get around the stadium. He reportedly suffered the injury while walking on stairs at his home and missing a step.
Despite his torn Achilles, Tirico hasn’t missed a game, and he’s also expected to call Sunday’s Bills-49ers contest. That means Tirico will call two games in four days.
Tirico is a fan-favorite broadcaster who often brings insightful commentary and has a knack for engaging the late-evening NFL audience. He and Collinsworth have good chemistry, but fans will get an opportunity to see Tirico with Garrett on Thanksgiving evening.
Dolphins vs. Packers Game Preview
Miami has allowed under 20 points in three straight games – since 2011, they’ve run such a streak up to four straight games just once (Weeks 9-13, 2021). Tua Tagovailoa’s average depth of throw in touchdowns in 2022 was 14.1 yards. Last season, that number was 13.2 yards. This season? 4.5 yards.
The Dolphins have averaged over 2.0 points per drive in five straight games (their peak this season prior to this run was 1.8). Defensively, Miami has not allowed a run of over 20 yards since Week 7 (five straight games).
Green Bay was 3-6 last season before winning six of eight games to close the regular season, a run that started with wins in Weeks 11-12, one of which was a road divisional victory. They’ve won in Weeks 11-12 this season, one of which was a road divisional game.
Jordan Love misfired on six of seven deep passes in the win over the 49ers last week, the first time he has failed to complete multiple deep passes since Week 5 of last season (he was six-of-six on such passes in Week 11 against the Bears).
Green Bay scored a touchdown on all five red zone drives against San Francisco, which is nice growth for a team that scored a touchdown on just six-of-15 (40%) red zone trips over their three games prior.
Defensively, the Packers allowed the 49ers to average just 0.5 yards per carry before contact on Sunday, a category in which they rank sixth best in the league this season.