49ERS vs. DOLPHINS
Five keys to winning ‘The Miami Game’ at Levi’s Stadium
Once the 49ers reflect on this season, a Week 5 matchup might get lost in the predictable chaos. Or it might not.
The Miami Game could serve a flashpoint to the 49ers’ renewed life.
The 49ers (2-2) have a lot in their favor when the Miami Dolphins (1-3) make their first visit to Levi’s Stadium, where a fan ban remains in effect for COVID-19 precautions.
Renewed optimism comes with the expected return of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, running back Raheem Mostert and, well, their postseason legitimacy.
“If want to win, if we want to get back to the Super Bowl, if we want a chance to even get into the playoffs, we need to play a lot better and we all know that,” said George Kittle, whose 15-catch bonanza last Sunday was squandered in a 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
That loss dropped the 49ers to 0-2 at home this season, just as drawn up in the Super Bowl Hangover playbook. Time to turn the page and do so against a franchise that lost a Super Bowl to the 1984 49ers just up the road at Stanford. Let us count five ways to a successful Sunday:
1. Run-and-fun
The 49ers run game bears little resemblance to last season’s unit that barreled into the Super Bowl. Things are about to change, for the better.
“I really like the game plan and I’m excited to run the ball a little bit,” Kittle said Thursday.
Running that ball could be Mostert, who’s been out with a sprained knee the past 2 1/2 games. Otherwise, the 49ers can lean on Jerick Mckinnon’s dual-threat ability and touchdown trend, as he aims to score in a fifth straight game.
“When we’re at our best, we’re the best run-game team in football,” Kittle added. “We have not lived up to my or our team’s standards. ... We’ll be running the ball again and I’m looking forward to it.”
The 49ers have gone backward too often. They have a
Nfl-high 21 negative rushing attempts. Last game, Mckinnon had four carries either lose yards or gain none.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said his scheme’s aggressive nature is a risk-reward proposition. “We really try to score on every run play,” Shanahan said. “... Our guys really come off and go for it. When you do that, you’re going to win some and you’re going to lose some.”
It paid off with big touchdown runs by Mostert (80 yards), Mckinnon (55 yards) and high-hurdling Brandon Aiyuk (38 yards). That accounts for 173 of the 49ers’ 514 rushing yards, 11th best in the NFL, a year after they finished No. 2 behind Baltimore. 2. Garoppolo’s presence Garoppolo must bring a sense of stability to an offense that’s seemed out of whack this season.
If he is a game-day scratch, so be it, and Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard will have to seize command; Shanahan has not said but it’s likely Mullens who remains Garoppolo’s top backup.
The 49ers rarely roll out Garoppolo, call bootlegs or ever dare a zone-read snap, so his ankle should be just fine in the
pocket, assuming the pass protection improves against a lessintimidating front.
Garoppolo’s reaction time will have to get up to speed quickly, especially if the Dolphins blitz linebackers Kyle Von Noy (a former New England Patriots teammate) and Kamu Grugier-hill (a former Eastern Illinois teammate).
“We’ve been waiting for this day for a while,” Grugier-hill told Miami-area reporters. “We’ve got a little group chat back home with our boys kind of messing with each other. We’ll see. Hopefully he plays. It will be fun.”
Pro tip if Garoppolo is targeting a cornerback: Go after rookie Noah Igbinoghene rather than interception magnet Xavien Howard. And watch out for rover Eric Rowe.
3. Pocket presence
Too often, the 49ers pass rushers have been caught up field and allowed quarterbacks to escape their clutches. The Dolphins’ Ryan Fitzpatrick certainly has that capability.
“He’s a lot more nimble than people realize,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “We are aware of his running ability, which is no different than other teams. We have to do a
great job communicating and be mindful of his ability.”
Knowing how the 49ers’ patchwork line has struggled with mobile quarterbacks, don’t be surprised if rookie Tua Tagovailoa debuts in place of Fitzpatrick at some point.
The 49ers will face many more tests this season, all without Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Ziggy Ansah and, for at least a couple more weeks, Dee Ford. Saleh noted that outside containment is not always the task of edge-rush replacements such as Kerry Hyder and Dion Jordan. Linebackers also must be on alert, and the 49ers should be welcoming Dre Greenlaw back this week after a two-week break to complement Fred Warner and Kwon Alexander.
4. Know thy enemy Despite injuries, the 49ers boast the league’s No. 2 pass defense, and the biggest threat to that this game is wide receiver Devante Parker, who is coming off a 10-catch outing and his ninth-career 100-yard game.
Tight end Mike Gesicki has seven touchdowns in his past 10 games; Kittle has six touchdown catches in his past 16 games.
Although the Dolphins’ top rusher is Myles Gaskin (4 yards per carry, no touchdowns), don’t be surprised if they give more looks to former 49er Matt Breida, who had 39 receiving yards last week to showcase his speed. He has 18 carries for 72 yards.
Breida has downplayed his return to Levi’s Stadium, where he played his first three seasons before the 49ers traded him in April for a fifth-round pick (used on offensive lineman Colton Mckivitz).
Breida’s memories of California: “Taxes are high. Cost of living is high. But yeah, the weather was nice. The people were really cool there and like I said, the 49ers are a great organization.”
5. Closing time
The 49ers remain masters at blowing a fourth-quarter lead, not that anyone needed a Super Bowl reminder. They’re 0-for-2 at home, having squandered three-point leads in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals and Eagles. (All five regular-season losses since 2019 have come against opponents with birds as mascots, also including the Seahawks, Ravens and Falcons.)
The 49ers are not alone in such dismay. The league saw 21 games decided by fourth-quarter comebacks, tied for secondmost in history through Week
4. Make it 22 after the Chicago Bears’ rally Thursday night.
The 49ers won won four games last season with fourthquarter comebacks. They need to rekindle that closing power, rather than retreat amid careless blunders and penalties, which are danger signs of a bad team.
The youth-laden Dolphins have had trouble closing out games this season, too. “We could easily be 4-0 right now instead of 1-3, but the fact is we’re 1-3, so we’ve just got to learn how to finish as a team,” said Breida. “We’re on the right track and we’re very close to putting it together pretty soon.”
In the fourth quarter of the Dolphins’ losses, they were within three of the Patriots, they led by three over the Bills and they trailed by two to the Seahawks.