The Miami Dolphins traveled across the country to Santa Clara in a game that they came in as heavy underdogs. The long plane fight didn’t seem to have an affect as the Dolphins won in blowout fashion, winning 43-17. This was the most amount of points an opponent has scored in Santa Clara, the home of the San Francisco 49ers.
Dolphins Offense
The first play of the game for the Dolphins was a 47-yard hookup to Preston Williams. This first play gave the Dolphins momentum as they scored a touchdown on their first two drives. Adam Shaheen got a 3-yard reception for a TD on the first drive, and then Myles Gaskin got a 1-yard TD rush on the 2nd drive. Fitzmagic was PERFECT throughout the game. He showed he is still a threat at 35-years-old when throwing deep. The deep threat showed when Fitzpatrick connected with Gesicki for a 70-yard reception. It was Gesicki’s career-high and the Dolphins season-high. DeVante Parker also played great, catching two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Parker, Gesicki and Fitzpatrick have been truly amazing through five weeks. You can even add Myles Gaskin to that mix.
Dolphins Defense
The Dolphins had their best defensive performance in a long time, and it was against the reigning NFC champs. The Dolphins contained George Kittle, which is a very hard thing to do. Even better, they contained the most important player, starting quarterback Jimmy Garrapolo. Garrapolo missed the last two games with an injury, and it wasn’t exactly a good day to come back. Garrapolo had his worst-ever passer rating (15.7) and even got benched at halftime. Even though his injury might have played an effect in his performance, the Dolphins defense was all over him. In total, the Dolphins had five sacks in the game, resulting in 43 yards lost. Garrapolo threw two interceptions, one to Bobby McCain, and the other to 2018 Pro-Bowl CB Xavien Howard, who now has had an interception in the last three games. Emmanuel Ogbah had the biggest defensive impact in this game, as he was all over the QB’s. The 49ers backup QB C.J. Beathard finished the game completing nine out of his 18 passes for 94 yards and a TD.
The Dolphins are now 2-3, and will face a winnable Jets team in Miami, in which the Dolphins should get to .500. Fitzpatrick will likely remain the starting QB, especially after this 350-yard game with three touchdowns.
In all, the long flight across the country was well-worth-it, as the Dolphins upset the reigning NFC champions.