2020 Opponent Breakdown — Week 5: San Francisco 49ers

The Miami Dolphins will face both Super Bowl participants, starting with a trip to the West Coast to face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5

As the Miami Dolphins continue to prepare for the 2020 regular season as best they can during this most unusual offseason, we will be dissecting their upcoming opponents.

Next up will be the San Francisco 49ers, who will be the opponents at Levi Stadium on Oct. 11.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

2019 Record: 13-3, first in NFC West (defeated Minnesota in divisional playoffs; defeated Green Bay in NFC Championship Game; lost against Kansas City in Super Bowl LIV in Miami)

Last Dolphins-49ers Meeting: 2016 at Miami — Dolphins 31, 49ers 24

This game took place in Week 12 of the 2016 and the Dolphins were able to extend their winning streak to six games despite a scare from a 49ers team that was having a miserable season. The reason the 49ers came so close to defeating the Dolphins that day was the performance of their quarterback, one Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 113 yards, and had the 49ers in position to tie the score in the final seconds. But linebacker Kiko Alonso and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh teamed to stop Kaepernick at the 2-yard line on a second-and-goal from the 6. The Dolphins built a 31-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter thanks to a strong performance by Ryan Tannehill, who was 20-for-30 for 285 yards and three touchdowns, including a 43-yard hook-up with Kenny Stills in the third quarter.

Colin Kaepernick puts a #Dolphins linebacker on skates, then creates a huge divot in the field during a slide. #SFvsMIA pic.twitter.com/0KW8sDsdDn

— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) November 27, 2016

Season in Review:

After going 4-12 in 2018 with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo going down early in the season with a knee injury, the 49ers enjoyed a dream season in 2019. They started the season 8-0 on their way to their first NFC West title since 2012. The 49ers did not a last-second tackle at the goal line to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in the finale to clinch their division title, but then they dominated the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers in the playoffs before squandering a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers finished first in the NFL in rushing and were third in total defense. Defensive end Nick Bosa earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and was one of four 49ers players selected to the Pro Bowl.

"We came a long way. ... Don't let this be the end of our journey."

Damien Williams made sure to find fellow undrafted RB Raheem Mostert after the Super Bowl ✊ (via @NFLFilms)pic.twitter.com/TwtiYiI8gj

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 6, 2020

Key Veteran Additions: T Trent Williams, DE Kerry Hyder, WR Travis Benjamin

The acquisition of Trent Williams during the draft was huge for the 49ers, who needed to find a replacement for the retiring Joe Staley. Williams came at a very reasonable price in terms of trade compensation — third- and fifth-round picks. Williams will have to shake out the rust after not playing in 2019, but he's made the Pro Bowl in his last seven seasons and is in the conversation as the best left tackle in the game. The other two veteran additions of note were more for depth purposes. Hyder didn't make much of an impact for Dallas last season, but he did have eight sacks in 2016 for the Detroit Lions. Benjamin, who starred at the University of Miami, has big-play ability as a receiver and returner in spot duty.

This was the single best play in all of week 3...Trent Williams destroying 2 for the price of 1 pic.twitter.com/xleSnNq8Q5

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 26, 2016

Key Departures: T Joe Staley, DT DeForest Buckner, RB Matt Breida, WR Emmanuel Sanders

We mentioned the retirement of Staley when we talked about the acquisition of Trent Williams, and there's really no way to put into words just how good Staley was and how important he was to the offensive line. Buckner was a stud along the defensive line, but the 49ers ran into cap issues and traded him to the Colts for a first-round pick. Money also was the reason the 49ers traded Breida to the Dolphins for a fifth-round pick, though the team's impressive depth at running back also played a role. Sanders had 36 catches in 10 games after coming over in a trade with Denver, but left as a free agent to join the New Orleans Saints.

Matt Breida is a top-5 RB in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/1GvdMFvS9m

— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) September 19, 2019

Notable 2020 Draft Picks: DT Javon Kinlaw, WR Brandon Aiyuk

The 49ers ended up with only two picks in the first four rounds of the 2020 NFL draft, but both were first-round selections. Kinlaw was the second defensive tackle selected behind Derrick Brown and he should fit in nicely on what is one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Aiyuk had almost 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns at Arizona State last season and he fills a need created by the departures of not only Sanders but also Marquise Goodwin, who was traded to Philadelphia.

Javon Kinlaw is meaner and stronger deforest Buckner. If he gets his pads down he will be better than Deforest Bucker and we can all agree to disagree that’s just how I see it. #49ers pic.twitter.com/0CaXDiqTZE

— WayneBreezie (@thewaynebreezie) April 24, 2020

Prognosis:

The 49ers have all the ingredients in place to make another deep run in the NFC, starting with the best offensive-defensive line combination in the NFL. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a very productive 2019 season, but his performance in the Super Bowl left questions as to just how "elite" he is. There's also the issue of the Super Bowl hangover, which often sees the loser of the big game take a big step back the following year. It's tough to envision the 49ers not being contenders, though, because of their strength on both lines.