Scooter & Hum: Day 213, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-49ers Game 5 Review

The 'Fins put together their finest performance in years, pummeling a well-thought-of San Francisco squad on their own field, 43-17. Miami had shining moments in all phases to push their record to 2-3 and change the tenor of its entire season. With a veteran quarterback, a developing offensive line, and what seems to be turning into a Brian Flores defense, the Dolphins could become a factor in the AFC.

Offense

Ryan Fitzpatrick largely shut it down in the second half, but the damage was done by that point, as he rolled to a shockingly easy 350 yards and three scores. He didn't have to rely on scrambles as much as previous weeks, which was good to see.
On the quibble front, I still would've liked to see Tua get a series in this one. Blowouts are hard to come by in the NFL and I remain a believer that occasional reps can still be learning opportunities for young QBs.
Fitz's scrambles were diminished due to strong pass protection by an offensive line playing against a strong defensive front. The fact that Miami was able to do so without starting left tackle Austin Jackson was borderline amazing. The 'Fins shifted right tackle Jesse Davis to the left side and plugged yet another rookie, Robert Hunt, into the fray at right tackle. It's clear that new offensive coordinator Steve Marshall is paying big dividends with this young unit.
The running backs were productive and more balanced, with Myles Gaskin racking up 91 yards on 21 touches (including his first score of the year) and Matt Breida adding 59 yards on 10 touches. Breida took some massive hits, but he also ripped off a 31-yard catch and run against his former team.
Miami deactivated Jordan Howard in this one, instead giving Lynn Bowden, Jr., more reps in multiple Wildcat looks. Bowden largely replaced Howard in short-yardage situations, contributing just four yards, but a couple of key first downs. Fullback Chandler Cox delivered a key goal-line block on Gaskin's TD run, and he even added a 6-yard catch.
Tight end Mike Gesicki was back to top form, grabbing five balls for 91 yards, with an impressive 70-yard catch and run the highlight. Former Bear Adam Shaheen also got on the board with a three-yard touchdown catch for his first Dolphins score.
The 'Fins routinely attacked San Francisco deep on back-shoulder sideline throws. Preston Williams and DeVante Parker combined to average 26 yards a catch, with Williams doing most of the damage with 106 yards and a score. Isaiah Ford was quiet with two catches, but both were important grabs in key moments. Jakeem Grant had a forgettable day, dropping a pass, losing 12 yards on a run, and muffing a punt.
Overall, the time of possession favored Miami, 36:53 to 23:07, making this one feel like one of the easiest and most painless games the 'Fins have had in years.

Defense

The Dolphins had a tremendous defensive game plan in this one, mixing up looks and well-disguised blitzes to get consistent pressure on both 49ers signal-callers. In all, Miami had five sacks, seven pass breakups, and eight hits on the quarterback.
The defensive line was playing without starting end Shaq Lawson, but Emmanuel Ogbah picked up the slack, continuing his strong play. He and emerging tackle Zack Sieler had sacks up front, with Ogbah also forcing a fumble.
Lawson's absence led to more reps for Andrew Van Ginkel, who was extremely active with six tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for losses, and a QB hit. He also forced a fumble that Christian Wilkins (finally) recovered. Though undersized, Van Ginkel is a tenacious rusher, and he may be playing his way into more sub packages.
From the linebacker position, Jerome Baker had a much-needed good game, registering eight tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and two hits on the QB. It was also good to see Elandon Roberts make an impact, as he played a role on a fourth-down stop and also notched a sack.
The secondary had its best game, with strong coverage and constantly making plays on the ball. It's no coincidence that the return of Byron Jones -- and a much smaller role for Noah Igbinoghene -- happened on this afternoon. Xavien Howard and Bobby McCain reeled in interceptions to set up Dolphins scores, and Eric Rowe played extremely well against San Francisco's all-world tight end, George Kittle.
On the quibble side of things, Miami struggled with Raheem Mostert all game long, as he ripped of 119 yards on just 14 touches, many of the broken-tackle and steamrolling variety. The 49ers had to go away from him as a big part of the game plan when they fell behind, but the 'Fins still aren't there yet on the tackling front.

Special Teams

Jason Sanders continued his Pro Bowl-lock level of play, drilling five more field goals and all four extra points while consistently getting touchbacks on kickoffs. What is the record for field goals in a two-game stretch in NFL history? Because Sanders has 10 in the last couple of games, and while that's not a great look for the red zone offense, it speaks to his reliability -- and that's a great feeling of security for any coach to have.
Punter Matt Haack had a quiet day with just two punts. His 53-yarder was more than offset by a shanked 31-yarder that would have been an uglier moment in a closer game.
Grant's muffed punt could have turned out much worse. He's still a threat on both punt and kickoff returns, but I remain interested in seeing Bowden in one of these roles.

Momentum Plays

After a three-and-out on defense to start the game, Fitz took a shot down the left sideline to Williams, who reeled in the 47-yarder on Miami's first offensive play. If Williams keeps his feet there it's an easy score, but the play set the tone for how aggressive the Dolphins were going to be in this one.
Ford's leaping catch converted a key 3rd and 11 later in the drive, setting up Shaheen's score and an early Miami lead.
After Ogbah and Roberts snuffed San Francisco's fourth-down attempt on the ensuing drive, Fitz hit Parker down the sideline for 28 more, leading to Gaskin's TD run and a 14-0 advantage.
Miami stopped San Francisco again on the following drive, but Grant fumbled a fair catch on the punt. Fortunately, the ball bounced directly back to him, allowing him to recover the ball and avoid a disastrous play with the 'Fins seemingly in control.
In the second quarter, a Mostert-led drive resulted in an untouched run by the 49ers fullback (not spelling his name), cutting the lead in half at 14-7. However, Fitz avoided a sack and ran for 16 yards on the following possession, the key play in a drive that saw him catch fire with strikes to G-Sick, Williams, and finally, Parker for a pretty 22-yard sideline score to make it 21-7.
After another defensive stop, Fitz hit G-Sick for a 70-yard rumble, but Fitz took a red zone sack and was cautious afterward, setting up Sanders for a 24-7 lead at the 2-minute warning.
Picks by McCain and Howard on ill-advised and confusing attempts by Jimmy Garappalo led to his benching and a couple more Sanders three-pointers and a 30-7 Dolphins lead at halftime. The coaching decisions to have the 49ers still be aggressive in those situations was baffling, to say the least.
Two horrific third-down calls against Miami's defense pretty much gave the 49ers a touchdown to start the second half, but the Dolphins faked a punt for a narrow first down on the following drive, which culminated with a perfect Fitz strike to Williams despite being hit by a San Francisco blitzer. The drive effectively nullified any possible 49ers momentum, pushing the score to 37-14.
Another San Francisco drive was propelled by shaky calls on the Miami secondary, leading one to wonder whether the refs were betting the spread in this one. However, Baker followed up a sack with a third-down stop, and the 'Niners settled for a field goal as the third quarter end at 37-17.
The Dolphins largely turned to the running game at that point, mixing Breida, Gaskin, and Bowden attempts to run clock and set the table for Sanders to convert two more field goals for the final margin of 43-17.