The Miami Dolphins and their high-powered offense were close to making the playoffs last season. The San Francisco 49ers were gearing up for an impressive run to the Super Bowl.
A lot can change in just one year. Now, the Dolphins are fighting to stay in the playoff race, while the 49ers risk having their first losing season since 2020 if they lose one more game.
The two teams will face off on Sunday in a matchup of 6-8 teams that have fallen short of their preseason expectations.
“I think they’re certainly frustrated, as we are,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “It’s been a trying year. But in no way, shape or form do I expect anything but their best.”
A big reason for Miami’s struggles this season has been their offense not performing as well as it did in the past.
The Dolphins were among the best in the NFL at both passing and rushing in 2023, with 265.5 passing yards per game and 5.1 yards per rush — both leading the league. Now, they are averaging just over 222 passing yards per game (14th in the NFL) and have the second-lowest yards-per-carry average at 3.9. Their rushing offense is the sixth-worst in the NFL.
One issue has been the offensive line, which hasn’t been able to create steady running lanes. Another problem has been mistakes they’ve made themselves.
“When you truly understand football and you watch the Miami Dolphins this year and from previous years, it’s all about execution,” wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. “It’s all about pre-snap operation. It’s all about not shooting yourself in the foot.
I feel like a lot of drives that we’ve had, big plays that we’ve had, they’ve been called back. Or even when we started the drive, we get a false start or we get a holding flag.”
The 49ers have also faced struggles with their run game. Since their bye week, they’ve failed to rush for more than 75 yards in three games, including against the Rams last Thursday, when they ran the ball 19 times compared to 31 passes, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry.
“We had a number of three-and-outs, a number of short drives,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Whenever you don’t get first downs, whether it’s running the ball or passing the ball, you’re not going to end up having many runs.
And I think we ran for one first down in that game. All our first downs were throwing it. I didn’t think we blocked as cleanly, but the main thing was not getting enough carries.”
San Francisco also hasn’t gotten consistent play from Deebo Samuel, who has gone from one of the league’s most dynamic players to one who’s been less productive.
Samuel has only 101 receiving yards in his last five games and is averaging just 2.8 yards per carry — down from 6.0 in the previous three seasons. But Shanahan doesn’t think this lack of production is due to a loss of explosiveness.
“By no means do I think he’s lost it or anything,” Shanahan said. “His looks haven’t been quite as good this year, just like for everybody. When the 10 guys around you aren’t doing quite as good, whether it’s him, whether it’s the quarterback, whether it’s O-line, you’re not going to do as good as you did the year before.”
McDaniel, who spent five years on Shanahan’s staff, said he knows the 49ers well enough not to underestimate them.
“The NFL is hard,” McDaniel said. “The success breeds tough times ahead because when you’re a good team, especially for as long as the San Francisco 49ers have been good, there’s not one team that lines up on Sunday taking them lightly.”
