San Francisco was beset with penalties that hurt its offense in the fourth quarter. Brock Purdy connected with Deebo Samuel on a third-and-8 play from Miami 18-yard line but it was called back due to illegal formation.
Tua Tagovailoa completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Hill on their next drive and effectively sealed the victory for Miami Dolphins.
| Team | Player | Completions | Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | Brock Purdy | 26 | 40 | 313 | 2 | 1 | 95.1 |
| Miami Dolphins | Tua Tagovailoa | 22 | 34 | 215 | 1 | 0 | 92.2 |
Rushing
| Team | Player | Attempts | Yards | Average | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | Patrick Taylor | 8 | 24 | 3.0 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | De’Von Achane | 17 | 120 | 7.1 | 1 |
Receiving
| Team | Player | Receptions | Targets | Yards | Average | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | Deebo Samuel | 7 | 9 | 96 | 13.7 | 1 |
| Miami Dolphins | Tyreek Hill | 3 | 7 | 29 | 9.7 | 1 |
OFFENSE
The 49ers entered this matchup eager to regain some momentum after two consecutive losses while the Dolphins have been fighting hard for playoff relevance all year. Both teams started slowly; both punting their opening drives.
San Francisco finally opened up their offense in the second quarter. Robbie Gould kicked a 21-yard field goal, capping off their quick drive with wide receiver Eric Saubert scoring from 2-yard out.
After an uneventful first half, the Niners returned to work in the third quarter. Gould tacked on another field goal to extend San Francisco’s advantage to 22-10 before Miami responded with a strong defensive effort; tackles Terron Armstead (knee) and Kendall Lamm (knee) were hit hard by San Francisco’s pass rush forcing a three-and-out.
On their next drive, quarterback Brock Purdy connected with wide receiver George Kittle for a 15-yard gain before unleashing another quick eight-play drive capped off by running back Patrick Taylor scoring a 1-yard touchdown run.
In the fourth quarter, Dolphins defense held firm to prevent any comeback attempt by Seattle. A poor drive began with Aaron Brewer’s fumbling the ball away before Calais Campbell recovered it at linebacker Calais Campbell recovered it on defense.
Later, quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sacked by 49ers’ Isaiah Wynn on a fourth-and-1 play at San Francisco 33, before an error allowed tight end Anthony Fasano to make an easy 20-yard catch and run all the way to 1. This set back Miami’s comeback efforts by several steps.
After receiving another opportunity in the fourth quarter due to Kyle Juszczyk’s penalty, Tannehill connected with Deebo Samuel for 13-yard gain.
DEFENSE
On a frigid and snowy day, the 49ers defense limited Miami Dolphins to just two first downs and one net yard of offense during the second half. That performance ultimately secured them their first Super Bowl championship since 1983.
Miami’s rushing attack and pass protection were ineffective, while quarterback Dan Marino had his lowest passing total of the year – due to being blocked by four-man 49er line that also hindered their feeble running game.
Calais Campbell and Kader Kohou’s defensive tackle duo was instrumental in creating an early advantage for San Francisco against Mike Pouncey of Miami center in the first half. Additionally, San Francisco linebackers led by Fred Warner and Renardo Green performed admirably throughout.
Coach Bill Walsh had spent three years building up the Patriots defense since their Super Bowl XVI win and turned it into one of the league’s premier units. Late in the game, Walsh sent in double teams against Miami’s big interior players and allowed his linebackers to drop into coverage without blitzing Marino directly.
Dre Greenlaw made an immediate impact upon returning from an Achilles injury, contributing a physical presence to San Francisco’s secondary. He recorded eight tackles in the first half and proved crucial to their defense.
Another key was the 49ers’ pass rush, led by NT Bryant Young and DE Eric Winston. Winston proved especially effective midway through the second half, helping limit Dolphins pass rush to just one sack.
The 49ers had some trouble early, but came out strong in the second period to score three points to take an unwavering lead that they wouldn’t give back. Joe Nedney kicked a 48-yard field goal before De’Von Achane scored from 50 yards out for their final drive that gave them 27-16 lead and championship victory – their 15th win out of 16 against Dolphins (an astounding record still held by them today).
SPECIAL TEAMS
After their lackluster performance against the Texans, the 49ers needed something to spark them up – and got it in unexpected form: rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Though he did drop some passes from Tua Tagovailoa on third downs for big gains and even one into the end zone to give the Niners a 7-3 lead midway through second quarter play.
Defense was in full force from then on out, holding a rushing offense that led the NFL in yards per carry to only 81 yards on Sunday despite its leader, Christian McCaffery and Trent Williams both going down with injuries. Rookie Patrick Taylor has filled in admirably while De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert both saw significant action.
Miami’s rushing defense ranks lowest in the NFL and quarterback Ryan Tannehill was frequently under pressure against Houston. To prevent more turnovers and ensure winning seasons ahead, Miami will need to improve its pass rush in order to stay competitive.
One area for improvement in the secondary is pass coverage. Jamar Taylor can sometimes be an issue and Davone Bess sometimes fails in that respect, though Jordan Poyer and Dion Lewis have provided excellent pass coverage.
Kicker Jake Moody continues to struggle, missing yet another field goal on Sunday – this makes seven this season from inside 50 yards missed altogether! Head coach Shanahan needs to address this in the offseason.
San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Linebacker Bobby Wagner is one of the league’s premier linebackers at his position, ranking among Roquan Smith of Baltimore Ravens with 11 sacks, nine tackles for loss and 16 QB hits this season – two wins away from being tied for first with 11 interceptions this season alone! Earlier in 2018, when San Francisco won turnover battle 5-0 they found success, so this game presents them with an opportunity to take control of this category once more and recover any ground lost there.
RUSHING
Last season, both teams saw their playoff hopes fizzle out – Miami in the Wild Card round and San Francisco in Super Bowl 50 against Kansas City Chiefs respectively. Entering this game with losing records it was essential that each side put things together to achieve victory on the road.
This game was another difficult defeat for the 49ers who fell to 6-9 overall and officially eliminated from playoff contention with their 29-17 loss on Sunday afternoon. Their struggles continued throughout this year and were evident once more on Sunday.
Deebo Samuel rebounded from last week’s costly drop with an incredible game in this one, totaling 96 receiving yards and one touchdown on seven receptions. Furthermore, he broke tackles and created yards after the catch that we have not witnessed from him before this year.
Tight end George Kittle proved once again his value to the 49ers by hauling in eight passes for 106 yards – making him team leader in receiving yards while coming within 33 yards of hitting 1,000 career receiving yards.
Running back Patrick Taylor had a tough first start since injuring his ACL, yet still managed to accumulate 24 yards on eight carries and be an impactful component in improving upon the team’s record.
Team Sports Khaar