Will Dolphins QB Tagovailoa make surprise debut Sunday?
After watching what happened on Sunday, there’s no escaping the growing quarterback quandary as the 49ers prepare for the Miami Dolphins’ first visit to Levi’s Stadium this weekend. No, not that one. Any sliver of a misguided controversy over who should ultimately quarterback the 49ers this year was put to rest after Nick Mullens’ nightmarish performance in a loss Sunday night. Jimmy Garoppolo will take his rightful place behind center when he’s ready — maybe as soon as this coming Sunday.
Let’s also ignore the question about whether Mullens or C. J. Beathard will start if Garoppolo can’t. Does it really matter which backup starts for the 8-point favorites?
There’s only one question concerning quarterbacks in this Sunday’s game that’s captivated NFL fans across the country.
Is it time for Tua Tagovailoa, the most exciting left- handed quarterback from Alabama since Kenny Stabler, to take over the Dolphins offense?
What better way to inject some excitement into a 1-3 Dolphins team whose offense has sputtered with 37-year- old Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm? The dualthreat Tagovailoa could certainly create issues for the decimated 49ers defense.
Not so fast, said Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who fields weekly questions from reporters who want to know when Tagovailoa, the sixth pick in the April draft, will make his NFL debut.
“Look, I understand where everybody is coming from with Tua,” Flores said Monday, a day after Fitzpatrick struggled again in a loss to Seattle. “I get all that. At the same time, he’s a young player. He’s coming off the injury. We’ll make the decision on the starter, but I would presume that’s going to be Fitzpatrick.”
Flores and the Dolphins tried to defuse the situation by announcing Tuesday morning that Fitzpatrick will be their starter this week.
Why not allow Tua to ease into his career by utilizing his athleticism in wildcat formation for a couple plays Sunday?
Here’s a closer look at what we might expect as the 49ers try to snap a twogame home losing streak:
Three reasons for 49ers’ optimism
PRIZED ROOKIE GIVING UP HUGE PLAYS >> Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, the 30th pick in the first round in April’s draft, has had a nightmarish start to his career. Things got tougher against Seattle when the former Auburn star looked somewhat lost while allowing four catches for 116 yards. Igbinoghene’s biggest gaffe came in the final seconds of the first half when he was part of the busted coverage that allowed David Moore to get wide open for a 57-yard catch that led to a Seattle score. Igbinoghene’s role could be diminished Sunday if Byron Jones, who left
Dallas for an $82.5 million free-agent deal, is able to return from groin and Achilles injuries.
ALARMING TROUBLES EVERYWHERE VS. THE PASS >> While Igbinoghene has made mistakes, he’s hardly the only reason the Dolphins have had a miserable time slowing down the passing game. Russell Wilson threw for 360 yards and two TDs, but he’s not been along in picking apart Miami’s defense, which has allowed a whopping 9.3 yards per pass — worst in the NFL. Miami, which is also ranked last in the league in yards per play by the opposition (6.6), continues to struggle mightily just like last season when it gave up a league-worst 39 TD passes as well as an all-time franchise high 494 points. No matter the 49ers quarterback Sunday, they should be able to put up some healthy numbers offensively. CONSERVATIVE APPROACH >> Flores, now in his second year of trying to rebuild the Dolphins after 15 years spent with the Patriots, has often opted for the conservative route with his game decisions. For a coach whose team had lost 13 of its previous 19 games, he seems to favor the measured approach. Sunday he called for a field goal with Miami down by five and facing a fourth- and- 5 on the Seahawks’ 11 with less than nine minutes remaining. Jason Sander made the kick — he always has this season, going an NFL-best 9 for 9 on field goal tries, including 5 for 5 Sunday. But not being aggressive likely cost Miami a shot at a win. Seattle responded with a quick touchdown drive and then another to put the game away.
Three reasons for 49ers’ pessimism
DEALING WITH DEVANTE >> DeVante Parker continues to ascend into one of the game’s most dependable receivers, which is remarkable for a guy who missed 11 games in his first four seasons. Parker battled through an ankle injury that kept him out for a few plays Sunday, then finished with season-best totals of 10 catches and 110 yards against the Seahawks. He has 1,280 yards over his last 16 games, and he also became the first Dolphin with at least 10 catches in a game since Jarvis Landry did it in 2017. Parker is now in the top five in the AFC in catches (24) and receiving yards (279). Parker will be quite a challenge for the 49ers’ depleted defensive backfield that lost slot corner K’Waun Williams ( knee) to injured reserve Monday after playing Sunday without their top three injured corners — Richard Sherman, Ahkello Weatherspoon and Emmanuel Moseley.
BREIDA’S REVENGE GAME? >> From the moment the 49ers traded Matt Breida to the Dolphins in April, the speedy running back had the return trip to Levi’s this Sunday on his mind. “Over the past three years, we did a lot of trash-talking in practice,” Breida said after he was dealt to Miami for a fifth-round pick the 49ers used on backup offensive lineman Colton McKivitz. “I just can’t wait to get on the field and play against them. It’ll be fun to compete against those guys.” Breida set an NFL standard during last year’s Week 5 when he recorded a top speed of 22.3 mph on an 83-yard touchdown run against the Rams. Breida has been a back up for Miles Gaskin and has just 72 yards on 18 carries. However, there’s probably a decent chance he’s a bigger part of the offense this week.
DOLPHINS’ D-LINE EMERGING >> Miami kept things close against the highscoring Seahawks for most of the game Sunday, holding Seattle to 17 points until 5 1/2 minutes remained. Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah, Miami’s defensive ends, deserve some of the credit for that. They help provide pressure and they each sacked Russell Wilson. Ogbah, the former Kansas City Chief, had two quarterback hits as well as a tackle for a loss. Ex-Patriots outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy has also provided a big boost to the pass rush. He had four tackles Sunday but heading into the game he led all NFL linebackers with a 90.1 pass rushing grade and nine QB pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. In other words, don’t sleep on Miami’s pass rush this week.