The Green Bay Packers were down 20-10 and facing a rampaging Miami Dolphins offense hell-bent on extending the lead to 17 points before halftime when veteran defensive lineman Jarran Reed made what might be the biggest play of Green Bay’s season.
Buy Packers TicketsOn Christmas Day, Reed channeled his inner Grinch and stole the ball away from Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert late in the first half, sparking what would become a comeback victory for the Packers at Hard Rock Stadium.
Talk about a turning point for a team fighting to make the postseason.
The forced fumble and ensuing recovery by Reed on 2nd-and-2 allowed the Packers to kick a field goal before halftime and then tie the game at 20 with a touchdown drive on the first drive of the second half.
It was also the first of four Packers takeaways, including three interceptions in the second half. Jaire Alexander’s pick set up a field goal, De’Vondre Campbell’s interception took away a late scoring opportunity and Rasul Douglas’ takeaway ended the game with under two minutes to go and the Packers up six.
FUMBLE
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Reed got the turnover train rolling and completely changed the contest. The Dolphins had scored on four of their first five drives and were in possession of the ball at the 49-yard line up 10 points. The Packers offense had turned the ball over on downs on consecutive drives, including a failed fake punt, and the Dolphins offense had the dagger drawn with a chance to go up three scores in the first half.
But Reed stripped Mostert, recovered the fumble in Dolphins territory and altered the momentum of the game the rest of the way.
In fact, the Dolphins wouldn’t score another point, and the Packers rattled off 16 straight to create the season-saving comeback win. Now 7-8, the team’s chances of making the postseason – especially with two more wins – went up considerably.
Reed signed a one-year deal to join the Packers this offseason. It included a base salary of just over $1 million with less than $2 million in guarantees. With one huge play on Christmas, Reed made the decision worth every penny for the Packers.
