Fiery Jerry Gray Leads Packers’ Pick Parade vs. Dolphins

Beloved position coach Jerry Gray – aka Coach OG – set the tone at halftime to help the Green Bay Packers beat the Miami Dolphins.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Dec 25, 2022 9:58 PM EST

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Jerry Gray – aka Coach OG – talks, the Green Bay Packers’ defensive backs listen. When Coach OG yells, the secondary provides the Super Bowl-caliber defense everyone expected five months ago.

Powered by fourth-quarter interceptions by Jaire Alexander, De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas, the Packers upset the Miami Dolphins 26-20 on Sunday. Green Bay’s third consecutive victory put it in the thick of the NFC playoff race with two weeks to go.

It was a tale of two halves. Miami led 20-13 at halftime as Tua Tagovailoa completed 9-of-12 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown, good for a passer rating of 144.4. Two completions, an 84-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Jaylen Waddle and a 52-yard bomb to the 1 to Tyreek Hill, provided 136 yards and 14 of the 20 points.

“First half, we gave up a couple explosive plays,” Douglas said. “That’s what we didn’t want to do. We came in with the mind-set of if they don’t get as many explosive plays, we’ll be good. The second half, OG came in, cursed us out bad and just like, ‘We’ve got to play better.’ I thought the second half, we played better.”

They played much better in the second half.

Tagovailoa, who entered the day leading the NFL in passer rating, was 7-of-13 for 82 yards and a 33.7 passer rating during the final 30 minutes. He threw interceptions on back-to-back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter.

“Shocking,” Douglas said of Gray’s outburst. “You’ve got to watch everybody’s face when OG starts yelling. Everybody was like [surprised expression], ‘We really got in trouble. We really got in trouble.’ Because OG talks, but it’s more like football stuff. He’s always like a calm, chill person. When he’s mad, stuff’s got to change.”

The Dolphins’ offense revolves around the big play. It entered the week ranked No. 1 with 12 completions of 40-plus yards and seven touchdowns of 40-plus yards highlighting Tagovailoa’s top-ranked 8.63 yards per attempt. The Dolphins followed the script with their two huge plays.

“We had some busted coverages and they got behind us, and those are two guys that are as electric as it comes in the National Football League,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “If you give them a sliver of light, they’re able to take a little 10-yard pass and make it a house call. So, I thought just collectively all 11 being on the same page, making sure we’re not giving them as much green grass out there, and our guys did a good job of reading the quarterback. I thought Joe [Barry, the defensive coordinator] did a really good job in the second half.”

With Green Bay creating the big plays, rather than allowing them, it was a different story in the second half. The tide turned on Jaire Alexander’s interception, which came one play after Aaron Rodgers was intercepted in the end zone. Tagovailoa’s pass sailed over the head of Hill and right to Alexander.

“It was too good to be true,” Alexander said.

With Green Bay leading 23-20, Tagovailoa took a shot to running back Raheem Mostert, who was running up the seam. Mostert had no idea the ball was coming his way but Campbell sure did, creating a turnover with the Dolphins in scoring position.

Finally, with Green Bay leading 26-20 after the two-minute warning, Douglas made one of those plays that he made so often last year. He was on coverage on Hill but anticipated Tagovailoa pushing the ball to tight end Mike Gesicki at the sideline. Douglas retreated, got under the route and made the clinching interception.

“They start coming, that’s how it is. You get one pick, more are going to come,” Douglas said. “Keep catching those and you keep getting them. I’m just glad we caught them.”

With three consecutive wins, the Packers could use repeat performances next week against Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings and in the finale against Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions.

Cousins, who threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns in beating Green Bay in Week 1, is coming off three consecutive monster games with 425 yards and two yards at Detroit, 460 yards and four touchdowns at home against Indianapolis and 299 yards and three touchdowns at home against the Giants.

If Gray spews a bunch of expletives during pregame warmups, perhaps the Packers will limit Justin Jefferson’s big plays and create a few of their own against Cousins.

“With any good secondary, there’s always good leadership,” Alexander said. “That’s from the coaching down to the players. So, it was just reiterated. Once it’s reiterated, it’s like, ‘OK, we get it now. We get it. These guys are fast, but we’re still good. We’re still, like, the best secondary in the league.’ That’s what we’ve been working for all year, and we played like it in the second half.”