The 6-8 San Francisco 49ers travel to Miami Gardens this Sunday to take on a Dolphins team that now has a less than ten percent chance of making the playoffs this year. In a game that may not have much at stake, Mike McDaniel and company still face some familiar foes heading into this week 16 showing.
After a deflating loss to the Houston Texans last week, the Dolphins’ hopes of making the postseason might be all but gone. With three games left in the regular season, the Dolphins have a 6-8 record and need to ultimately win out and have all their cards fall in the right place to get help from other teams in the AFC. Despite another bleak winter for Miami, the Dolphins still need to take care of business.
The 49ers and Dolphins have collectively been the most disappointing teams in the NFL this year. Now, to close out December, both teams will have to play lights out if they want any chance in their respective wild-card hunts. In a rematch from 2022, the two teams will play based on many of the same philosophies.
Both Head Coaches, Kyle Shannahan, and Mike McDaniel, came from the same coaching staff in Washington over 10 years ago and ended up on the same 49er staff a few years ago before McDaniel got the job in Miami. They both emphasize a fast-paced offense that utilizes speed to take the top off of opposing defenses. However, this hasn’t been the case for either team this year.
One might say the 49ers are still “hungover” from the Super Bowl in February. Nonetheless, it is hard to go over this team without taking into account the surplus of injuries that have plagued them this year. San Francisco will be entering this game down to their fifth running back, Patrick Taylor. The 49ers offensive production compared to last year is night and day, as highly paid receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk haven’t been huge factors as well. Make no mistake, the 49ers still have guys that can change the course of these games in an instant, like the best Linebacker in the league, Fred Warner.
One of the big keys in Sunday’s game is for Tua to play it safe against this gritty defense. After a four-turnover game last week, Tua must keep the ball out of Warner’s hands when he throws down the middle if they want any chance of winning this one.
Jaylen Waddle looks to be doubtful Sunday with a knee injury, and Tyreek Hill doesn’t seem to be looking any better on the injury report with a hurt wrist, so we’ll take all the help we can get Sunday. We need another big game against Tight End Jonnu Smith, as well, with the ground game being established. After all, Mike McDaniel was the former run game coordinator for the 49ers, so there shouldn’t be any problem doing that. Right? Honestly, at this point in his Dolphin tenure, I wouldn’t put anything past him.
We need to see the right personnel on the goal line, not having our smallest back take all the blows. A resurgence from former 49er Jeff Wilson would be nice, as well, with a big game from rookie Jaylen Wright, who has seemed to disappear in depth this last month. A score from Mostert in his revenge game would be nice as well, given that this could be one of his last games as a Dolphin.
The Dolphins host their last home game of the year this weekend against a 49ers team that is desperate to stay in the win column. Both teams are fighting for a miracle to get back in the playoffs, so I expect a close game that could go down to the wire. Miami’s defense needs to force turnovers if they want to win, something that has been a rarity these last few games. Since this could be the last game at Hard Rock for a lot of the guys, I expect a hard-fought win on Sunday. Anything other than that guarantees us a losing season for the first time since 2019 and, hopefully, a shake-up of the entire franchise.
