Earlier this week, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told reporters he was excited to go to Lambeau Field and kill stories. After a 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers, these criticisms aren’t going anywhere.

On a cold, stormy night with a few snow showers, the Dolphins were bullied by the Packers.

Miami made a lot of mistakes early and dug themselves into a 24-3 hole in the first half. While the Dolphins put together a much better second half, their hopes of an improbable comeback came to an emphatic end when Miami failed to score on three straight plays from the Packers’ 1-yard line.

A team that hasn’t won games in the cold looked like it was getting hit by the cold. A team that was called soft looked soft. And a team that hasn’t beaten any good teams was easily handled by a contender.

Dud: Tackling Dolphins

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A Dolphins defense that took issue with DeShon Elliott characterizing the team as “soft as (expletive)” certainly looked soft on Thursday. On a cold night in Wisconsin, Dolphins defensive players struggled to bring down Packers players.

Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, wide receiver Jayden Reed, running back Josh Jacobs and former Dolphins running back Chris Brooks were bullies. Miami simply couldn’t match the effort. Jalen Ramsey, who has built a reputation as one of the more physical defensive backs in the NFL, was especially ineffective at bringing down Packers players.

Dud: Special teams for dolphins

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The Packers started the game by returning the opening kickoff 43 yards. Just a few plays later, sixth-round rookie Malik Washington muffed a punt inside the Dolphins’ own 10-yard line. It was a brutal start for special teams who played a direct role in Miami, which started the game in a 7-0 hole before it even had possession of the ball.

Stud: TE Jonnu Smith

Despite early penalties, Smith was great on Thursday. The veteran tight end remains the most reliable threat in the Dolphins offense, finishing the loss with 10 receptions for 113 yards – a pair of career-highs. He is now Miami’s leader in receptions this season and he is also just six yards behind Tyreek Hill in the team’s lead.

Dud: Dolphins defensive injury report

A Dolphins defense that features linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. and missing cornerback Kendall Fuller from the starting lineup, causing injuries to cornerback Kader Kohou, cornerback Cam Smith and linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

The severity of those injuries remains to be seen, but it’s bad news for a Dolphins defense that’s falling apart at the wrong time.

Stud: QB Tua Tagovailoa

Tagovailoa has become the epitome of the Dolphins’ struggles in cold weather, and many critics were pleased with the quarterback Thursday night. But he is near the bottom of the list of players responsible for the loss.

The Dolphins quarterback completed more than 80 percent of his passes for 365 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 114.2. Granted, a lot of those numbers came in garbage time, but it wasn’t Tagovailoa missing 20 tackles, fumbling a punt or burying offensive plays with penalties. It didn’t help that he was sacked five times by a Packers pass rush that was completely unblocked at times.

Dud: Dolphins running game

Raheem Mostert had a run of 12 yards, but his other four carries totaled just seven yards. De’Von Achane had a 13-yard run and gained just one yard on his other six carries. Overall, the pair of Dolphins running backs (neither Jaylen Wright nor Jeff Wilson Jr. got a touch Thursday) averaged 2.8 yards per carry.

The inability to get push in short-yardage situations is nothing new for the Dolphins, and that problem reared its ugly head when the team needed one more yard near the goal line late in the game.

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Studs and duds in Dolphins’ 30-17 loss to Packers in Week 13