Five Instant Overreactions to Dolphins-49ers

The Miami Dolphins suffered a beatdown at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, taking their record to 0-2. Let’s overreact to a game where Miami lost in all three phases.

Austin Jackson is NOT a solution

Matching up with Maxx Crosby and Nick Bosa in back-to-back weeks is no easy task. Both are among the league’s best pass rushers, and they showcased that against Miami’s offensive line, particularly when lined up against their right tackle.

Jackson’s play to start the season has been abysmal. He’s been consistently beaten in pass protection, which isn’t necessarily a surprise given his competition. What’s more shocking, though, is that offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik continues to leave him helpless. Miami has rarely chipped or double-teamed the rushers opposite him, allowing them to get free runs on a tackle who has struggled on passing downs throughout his career.

Something must change, whether it’s benching Jackson in favor of Caedan Wallace (who has played reps as a sixth lineman in both games) or a more consistent plan to protect him with chip help. Miami’s passing game hasn’t gotten off the ground, and their longest-tenured lineman is a major reason for it.

Special Teams Is Embarrassing

A week after Miami allowed multiple explosive returns and missed a field goal, the Dolphins found a way to top their previous woes.

On the Dolphins’ opening drive, Riley Patterson missed his second field goal of the year, now matching the amount of misses he had in all of 2025 (on 29 attempts).

It only got worse in the second half, as punter Bradley Pinion dropped the ball after fielding a snap on fourth down. Pinion’s drop gave San Francisco the ball at Miami’s 28-yard line, from which they would score a touchdown.

Miami’s unit ranked at the bottom of the NFL in EPA in Week 1, and following it up with another poor performance is enough to sound the alarm. In an era highlighted by new kickoff rules and K-balls, it’s extremely important to win in the third phase of the game, and the Dolphins have done the opposite.

Slowik Makes Progress

Following Week one, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik mentioned that getting De’Von Achane more than his 14-week-one touches was a focus. He followed through, getting Miami’s star running back the ball 17 times in the first half alone.

The game got away from Miami in the second half, but their early commitment to the ground game kept it in grasp early on. Ball control football will likely be the easiest path to wins for an offense lacking explosives in the passing game, and this was a step in the right direction.

Defense Needs a Shake-up

The Dolphins’ lack of depth showed up once again in Week 2. Without Chop Robinson and Kenneth Grant (the latter of whom is on IR), Miami allowed touchdowns on each of its first five offensive drives.

Up front, the Dolphins were consistently moved off the line of scrimmage, while the back end had multiple coverage busts. Notably, linebacker Willie Gay Jr., who is filling in for rookie Trey Moore, looked out of place on several occasions.

Gay is playing the vital strong-side linebacker role in Hafley’s defense, but through two weeks, he’s struggled mightily. It might be time to opt for someone else, or adjust the scheme to compensate for the lack of consistent contributors.

Still Better Than McDaniel

In Week 1, Jeff Hafley was successful on his first career challenge. In Week 2, he made a similarly strong decision, opting not to challenge a Mike Evans catch along the sideline. Hafley had the red flag in his hand, but put it away, which looked pretty smart after watching the replay.

Challenges were a blind spot during former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel’s tenure. On 21 attempts, only four calls were overturned. Hafley’s mark is still perfect, largely due to a strong decision on Sunday evening.

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