Miami Gets It Right on the Left Coast with Statement 43-17 Victory Against 49ers

By: Brandon Liguori

Scoring on 10 of their 12 total offensive drives, Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Miami Dolphins (2-3) put on a dominant performance Sunday afternoon against the San Francisco 49ers (2-3) at Levi’s Stadium, 43-17.

Miami’s 26-point victory against San Francisco was the first time the Dolphins knocked off the 49ers by 10 points or more in franchise history and their 43 points were the highest since Week 7 of the 2015 campaign vs. the Houston Texans (44).

“We moved the ball well and made a lot of big plays. I thought the O-Line performed well. I thought we ran the ball well. Our offensive coaching staff put together a very good plan and the players went out there and executed it,” Flores said.

Fitzpatrick threw six incompletions (22/28) and three touchdown throws to three separate receivers: Adam Shaheen, DeVante Parker and Preston Williams, who after four quiet games, finished with a career-best 106 yards on four receptions.

Fitzpatrick targeted Williams five times. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco’s leader, welcomed back Jimmy Garoppolo after a two-game absence due to a sprained ankle suffered in a Week 2 win against the New York Jets.

Flores’ defensive unit harassed Garoppolo throughout the entirety of the first half, as Garoppolo completed 7/17 of his throws for a whopping 77 yards, two interceptions and a 15.7 total quarterback rating, a career worst.

Garoppolo was benched to open the second half for C.J. Beathard. “I thought Josh had a good plan. Our defensive coaching staff did a really nice job this week getting these guys prepared against a good offense,” Flores said. San Francisco’s two leading receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, were both held to 44 receiving yards.

Originally, Miami was supposed to stay on the West Coast and prepare for the Denver Broncos Oct.18, but due to a COVID-19 situation involving the New England Patriots, which saw their Week 5 contest vs. Denver postponed and moved to Oct. 18, the Dolphins will host Adam Gase and the winless New York Jets (0-5) at Hard Rock Stadium, who fell, 30-10, Sunday vs. Arizona.

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