The Most Satisfying Aspect of the Big Dolphins Win

The Miami Dolphins' victory against the San Francisco 49ers was meaningful in a lot of ways and offered great hope for the near future

It wasn't just that the Miami Dolphins thoroughly handled the defending NFC champion 49ers on Sunday that was so encouraging for the franchise, but rather it was because of some of the players who made key contributions.

Everyone talked about the performance of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and for good reason, but in the big picture what was more relevant was what we saw from Xavien Howard, Byron Jones and Preston Williams.

Those three are among the most important players on the roster, but because of various injury issues hadn't been able to perform up to par or play at all until the 49ers game.

Start with Williams.

Beyond his mediocre numbers through four games, which included only six catches on 15 targets for 89 yards, Williams just didn't look like the same wide receiver who made such a good impression as a rookie free agent in 2019.

He looked like that player again against the 49ers while catching five passes (on six targets) for 106 yards and a touchdown.

“He played well, he went up and made some big catches and he started the game with the catch down the sideline, the big touchdown in the second half and then created some penalties that put us in good field position," head coach Brian Flores said. "That’s what he’s capable of. We’ve seen the athleticism and the talent and he’s working. He’s a hard-working kid, it’s important to him. I’m happy to see him have a  good game like he did today, but it wasn’t just Preston, there’s 11 guys on the field and our offensive line blocked it up. They gave (QB Ryan Fitzpatrick) Fitz good protection, Fitz made some good throws and Preston came down with a handful of them.”

Now, given the nature of the position, it's not like Williams is going to have a 100-yard game every week. But having Williams back at full efficiency on a regular basis makes the Dolphins receiving corps all that much more difficult to contain with DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki also involved.

As for Jones, it was easy to see the difference he makes in the Dolphins secondary, although it's fair to point out that the 49ers passing game isn't exactly electric.

Look, there's a reason the Dolphins made Jones the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL when they signed him as a free agent in the offseason (though he since has been surpassed).

The idea was that he would team with Howard to give Miami as good a cornerback tandem as there is in the NFL.

The problem is that Jones sustained an Achilles injury in camp and then left the Buffalo game in Week 4 after four snaps when he suffered a groin injury that would keep him out of the next two games.

As for Howard, he's been working his way back to 2018 form after the knee issues that cut short his forgettable 2019 season and had him start camp this summer on PUP.

Howard really didn't look like his Pro Bowl self early in the season, but he's looked better and better with each passing week, even aside from the fact he's now got an interception in three consecutive games.

Howard at top form is an elite cornerback with great coverage skills and playmaking ability to match. Put simply, he's in the Stephon Gilmore/Tre'Davious White class when he's right.

And he appears to be right at this moment, which is part of the reason the win at San Francisco was so satisfying.

It wasn't so much that they left the city by the bay with a 26-point win, it's that the game offered the promise of good things to come because of the performances of those three key players.