Dolphins-49ers: The Five Biggest Plays
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The Miami Dolphins dropped to 8-4 on the season with their 33-17 loss against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.
We rank the five biggest, most important, plays of the game:
1. The Fourth-Down Incompletion
After not looking particularly impressive for a good part of the game — with the exception of the 75-yard TD pass on the first play — the Dolphins found themselves in position to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter. After converting a fourth-and-1 from their own 19 — yes, it was a Brandon Staley-like call by Mike McDaniel — the Dolphins faced a fourth-and-2 from the 49ers 36-yard line. They clearly were going for it and it appeared they had converted when the officials gave them a 3-yard reception by Mike Gesicki at the sideline. And who knows what would have happened had 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan not challenged the ruling, which clearly was wrong upon review.
2. Brock Purdy's Pass to George Kittle in the 2nd Quarter
The 49ers took the lead for good in the final seconds of the first half when Christian McCaffrey capped a 76-yard touchdown drive with a 3-yard reception. But that drive easily could have ended when the 49ers faced a third-and-10 from the 35 and Jaelan Phillips came in free off the snap. But Purdy got the ball off in the face of pressure and threw a strike down the middle of the field to Kittle for a 19-yard gain. It was not the kind of throw you expect from a rookie seventh-round pick forced into action because of an injury to the starter.
3. The Holding Penalty on Robert Hunt
The Dolphins have had great success coming out of halftime and it looked like they were on their way to a game-tying touchdown after a 19-yard completion plus a roughing-the-passer call on Nick Bosa put the ball at the 49ers 28. After a false start on Robert Jones on first down, Raheem Mostert broke off an 18-yard run down the right side to the 15, only to have the play called back by a holding call on Robert Hunt that, let's just say, wasn't the most egregious hold ever. In any case, the call made it first-and-25 from the 43 and it was on the next play that Tua Tagovailoa threw his first interception, the result of a mix-up with running back Jeff Wilson Jr., who never turn but stumbled as Jimmie Ward jumped over him to make the pick.
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4. Christian McCaffrey's 30-Yard Run
The failed fourth-down attempt was damaging, but it was compounded by the defense then allowing a 34-yard field goal drive that made it a two-score game and basically clinched the victory for the 49ers. And the big play there, of course, came on first-and-10 from the Miami 41 when McCaffrey took advantage of a gaping hole up the middle and then cut to the left into the open field for a 30-yard gain to the 11. Even after the 49ers lost 19 yards before kicker Robbie Gould came onto the field, he still was able to make the 48-yard field goal attempt to make it 26-17.
5. The First Nick Bosa Sack
Yes, it was Bosa's final sack that closed the door, as he forced the fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Dre Greenlaw, but the first one possibly cost the Dolphins four points — not to mention additional early momentum. It came early in the second quarter when the Dolphins had a third-and-1 from the San Fran 17 and decided to have Tua do a straight drop back, a rather odd decision given the circumstances and the team's success with quick roll-outs. Regardless, the Dolphins tried to have fullback Alec Ingold and running back Jeff Wilson Jr. pick up Bosa, but both failed and Bosa dropped Tua to force the Dolphins to settle for a field goal and a 10-10 tie at the time.
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