The Green Bay Packers started off their Thanksgiving clash against the Miami Dolphins on such a good note when Keisean Nixon recorded the team's longest kickoff return of the season at 43 yards. However, it did cost the Packers another one of their primary defensive weapons, with cornerback Corey Ballentine doing his best in providing Nixon with the requisite block for him to maximize their return, and in the process, injuring his knee.
At first, Ballentine was simply deemed “questionable” to return to the game with a knee injury, but later on, the Packers decided to rule out the 28-year-old cornerback for the rest of the game, as per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
The Packers were already facing their fair share of question marks at left cornerback entering the night, as Jaire Alexander continued to be on the mend while also dealing with a knee injury of his own. But at the very least, it doesn't look as though Ballentine's absence on the night is costing Green Bay.
In Ballentine and Alexander's stead, the Packers relied on Nixon, Eric Stokes, and Robert Rochell to be the team's main cornerbacks, and thus far, they are doing their job in slowing down the Dolphins' offense. At the time of writing, the Packers own a 27-11 lead with a little over two minutes left in the third quarter, and they appear to be on track to earn their ninth win of the season in 12 tries, so long as they don't fumble the bag late in the game.
Packers' defense is holding strong against the Dolphins
The first half was a masterclass from the Packers in how to slow down the Dolphins. They allowed Miami to score a mere field-goal in the first half, and to make matters worse for the Dolphins, the Packers defense was negating their deep threats and forcing them to go short often, forcing two punts and a turnover on downs through the first 30 minutes of the game.
Of course, Green Bay must be wary of the threat that the Dolphins' offense possesses. Tyreek Hill can always turn up in a hurry, while Rasheem Mostert can also be a nuisance. But the Packers have been holding strong despite missing the services of one of their best defensive weapons in Jaire Alexander. The key now for Green Bay is to manage the game, and Jordan Love appears to have that art down pat.
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