GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Welcome to the prime-time portion of the Green Bay Packers' schedule.
Call it a moon phase, but Thursday's Thanksgiving night game against the Miami Dolphins at Lambeau Field (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) is the first of four straight prime-time games for the Packers -- with the possibility of a fifth consecutive night game if the NFL flexes the Week 17 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
To some, it may be nothing more than a quirk in this season's schedule. But to others, it might require a mindset change to handle the next month.
After the Dolphins game, the Packers have another Thursday night game at the Detroit Lions followed by a Sunday night at the Seattle Seahawks and then a Monday Night Football appearance at home against the New Orleans Saints.
This after a stretch of 10 straight Sunday games, most of which (seven) were in the 1 p.m. ET slot. The other three were 4:25 p.m. ET kickoffs. The Packers haven't played in prime time since Sept. 6 , the Friday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil as part of opening weekend.
"It's definitely a little bit different when you go from those 12 o'clock [CT] kickoffs to night kickoffs in terms of just waking up on game day and you're not going straight to a game," Packers quarterback Jordan Love said. "I don't think it'll be anything challenging. Guys in this locker room have all done that before. I think we have the right mindset just preparing for the game and being ready to go out there and execute. I think we'll be just fine."
That doesn't mean they are all in favor of it.
"I don't know if it plays on the body as much as it does on gameday," Packers center Josh Myers said. "Personally, I hate night games. That's solely because I just hate sitting around all day, man. I'm sick of it by the time game time comes around. That's just me. Yeah, it'll be a little different but I think we'll be great.
"I feel like I get exhausted if I sit there and think about it all day. I used to do that early in my career. That's all I'd think about. I can't do anymore. I'm just so tired by the time the game starts. I'll watch a movie, take a nap, have some meetings. Just in and out of it. Just try and relax."
For tight end Tucker Kraft, it's after the game when he finds it to be most different.
"The day can weigh a lot on you, and then just trying to go to bed after that," Kraft said. "Good luck."
Coaches don't necessarily like it any more than players do from a preparation standpoint.
"Every game should be played at noon," Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. "That's what I believe. Toe meets leather at high noon. It's one of those things, it's fun. The atmospheres are usually pretty electric.
"Lambeau, obviously, this last game - even the 3:30 -- you could just tell the atmosphere was just that much better."
If the Packers (8-3) and Vikings (9-2) keep pace with each other, then their Dec. 29 meeting in Minneapolis could be moved from the early timeslot. Because it's Christmas Week and games start on Wednesday (Christmas Day) that week, there are only seven games on the Sunday slate. The night game is currently the 5-6 Dolphins at the 3-8 Browns.
If Packers-Vikings is flexed, it would put Green Bay at the NFL maximum of six night games through Week 17. Week 18 does not count against that total. No game times have been assigned for the regular season finales, so it's possible the Packers-Bears game -- if it has playoff implications -- could wind up on Sunday night.
This week is Miami's fourth night game of the season, but none of their previous ones came in consecutive weeks.
For the Dolphins, the bigger concern might be the weather. According to The Weather Channel, Thursday in Green Bay will have a high temperature of 32 degrees and a low of 20. The Dolphins have lost 11 straight games when it was below 40 degrees. That streak dates to 2016, when they beat the Bills in Buffalo. According to ESPN Research, that's tied for the second-longest streak in such temperatures over the past 25 seasons.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has lost all four of his starts in sub-40 degree temperatures. In those games, including a wild-card game in Kansas City this past January when it was minus-4, he's had a 55% completion rate with four touchdowns and five interceptions.
"It doesn't bother me in any way, shape or form," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters in Miami this week. "We have some plans on how to attack this week, but I relish that opportunity because, yeah, there's one way to correct that.
"I know there's a locker room full of people that believe and are eager to set that narrative straight, but there's only one way to do it, and there's only one way you'd want it to be done -- you want to go earn that sentiment or maybe some take-back from some people that have strong opinions, or they're going to be right. And it's your choice as a team."