Waking up on Monday this week is a lot easier than it was last week if you’re a fan of the Miami Dolphins. Miami dropped another agonizingly close football game in Week 4 to the (still) undefeated Seattle Seahawks with a road trip to San Francisco looming on the horizon in Week 5. That road trip? It went just about as well as anyone could have possibly hoped.
The Dolphins routed the 49ers by a score of 43-17, smashing up San Francisco’s defense and terrorizing the 49ers quarterbacks along the way. And now, the Dolphins will make an unplanned return home for a game against the New York Jets in Week 6 after some NFL schedule alterations. The Jets, who are winless at 0-5, feel like a strong follow up opponent for Miami ahead of their bye in Week 7.
But before putting Week 5 in the rear-view mirror, who had the biggest hand in Miami securing their second win of the season against San Francisco?
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Fitztragic has swung the pendulum back to Fitzmagic. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise — this is the book on Ryan Fitzpatrick for over a decade and a half of football. But boy, when it clicks, it sure is pretty. Fitzpatrick channeled his play from Miami’s win over Philadelphia in 2019 — lofting up throws and letting his receivers make the plays in the air.
They did. And needless to say, Fitzpatrick prospered. Fitzpatrick’s performance logged the third highest quarterback rating of a Dolphins passer in any game in team history: better than any mark left by Dan Marino in a single game.
Needless to say, Fitzpatrick came up huge in Week 5.
The pass rush
The Dolphins logged 5 sacks on 49ers quarterbacks and completely rattled Jimmy Garoppolo’s cage in the first half. It got so bad that Garoppolo resorted to throwing off his back foot down the field to avoid pressures and gift-wrapped two interceptions for the Dolphins. One pick came via Bobby McCain at free safety, the other came from Xavien Howard (his third in three games). With Jerome Baker and Elandon Roberts prowling interior gaps, the Dolphins took advantage of erratic protection to pressure both Garoppolo and his second half replacement, C.J. Beathard.
As a result, San Francisco never found their rhythm.
Head coach Brian Flores
This was more of the performance we were expecting to see from Brian Flores after the 2019 season. Flores frustrated many with the management of the Seattle game in Week 4 but he returned to his aggressive approach in Week 5. Miami was relentless in attacking San Francisco’s practice-squad cornerback and refused to take their foot off the gas against the 49ers — faking a punt midway through the third quarter to extend a drive, score a touchdown and push the Dolphins’ lead to 23 with about 20 minutes left in the game.
Amid the scheduling changes ahead of their game, Flores did a great job keeping his team focused on the task at hand: beating San Francisco.
The offensive line
Ryan Fitzpatrick was sacked twice on the day, one of which came on a rollout that moved the pocket and was wisely taken by Fitzpatrick down inside the red zone. But while Miami’s rushing stats might not indicate a ton of success on the ground, it shouldn’t be overlooked that Miami, which replaced injured Austin Jackson with Robert Hunt at tackle, churned through 36 minutes of time of possession against the 49ers.
How?
They ran the ball in the second half. Miami ran seven times on eight offensive plays during a 9-play, 62 yard possession that ended in a field goal and lasted 7:06 between the third and fourth quarters. The kick pushed the lead to 40-17 and slammed the door shut on a comeback.
K Jason Sanders
Jason Sanders enters Week 6 of the NFL season averaging over 10 points per game for the Dolphins. He’s started the season perfect on kicks and was 5 for 5 kicking the ball against the 49ers — including a 50-yarder. Sanders has become quite the weapon for Miami and if the Dolphins cross the 40-yard line, the odds are strong that they’ll claim points.
Sanders’ play deserves a shoutout amid a slew of strong performances for the Dolphins in Week 5.
Conclusion
So who is most to thank for the Dolphins’ 43-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers? Here’s our best allotment of credit:
- QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
- The pass ru—
Wait a minute. The Miami Dolphins deserve credit for this win. All of them. This was about as complete of a team effort as you’ll see in the NFL — between offense, defense, special teams and coaching, the Dolphins should be applauded for seeing everyone come ready to work and collect a win.
Who deserves credit for Miami’s dominant Week 5 win? Everyone.
