49ers vs. Dolphins: Keys to winning ‘The Miami Game’ at Levi’s Stadium
SANTA CLARA >> 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.
R enewe d op t imi sm comes with the return of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Also back might be 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 a few 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 questionable to come back from a sprained knee that kept him out 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.
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 less-intimidating 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.