From the Other Side: Five Questions About the 49ers

The Miami Dolphins will face yet another difficult challenge in Week 5 when they face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium.

The 49ers are coming off a 25-20 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles that evened their record at 2-2, but let's not forget they are the defending NFC champions.

To get a better feel for the 49ers, we checked in with All49ers publisher Grant Cohn for his answers on these five key questions:

1. How have the 49ers managed to stay afloat through all these injuries?

They’ve played two winless teams — the Jets and the Giants — and beaten both of them. So that helps. But the other thing the 49ers have going for them is their seemingly endless depth. Every time a player gets injured, the 49ers have some late-round pick or undrafted guy who has been on the practice squad and gets an opportunity to play and just crushes it. They had nine starters missing two weeks ago and still beat the Giants, which speaks to how well the 49ers coaching staff develops players. The 49ers might be better at developing players than any other franchise.

2. What’s the sense of confidence that Jimmy Garoppolo is capable of coming through on the biggest stage?

I believe the 49ers still have confidence in Garoppolo, but have questions about him, too. And how could you not have questions about him? He flopped in the Super Bowl, he’s almost 29 and he still has fewer than two seasons worth of starts to his name. Who is he? Is he even durable? If he misses a few games every season, he’s not a franchise quarterback. The burden is on Garoppolo to prove what he is. And he has to prove himself now. And he won’t have the same defense he had last season — he’ll have to be the engine of the team. And at the end of the season, the 49ers will re-evaluate him and decide if he’s still worth the gigantic contract they pay him.

3. Why is Kyle Shanahan’s offense so consistently successful?

He’d probably tell you it’s his scheme. And his scheme consistently produces yards. He does a good job of making his run plays look exactly like his play-action plays initially, so he confuses opposing defenses. He also uses lots of pre-snap motion, which confuses defenses, too. All this confusion leads to big plays for the 49ers offense. But historically, Shanahan’s scheme isn’t particularly successful on third down or in the red zone. That’s where he needs elite players.

4. How have the 49ers compensated for the loss of Nick Bosa, the son of former Dolphins first-round pick John Bosa?

They lost Dee Ford too — he’s on injured reserve with a back injury. And they lost DeForest Buckner, who was traded to the Colts. So the 49ers’ best remaining pass rusher is Arik Armstead, a defensive tackle who has to play defensive end now for the 49ers because Bosa and Ford are out. Armstead is playing well, but he’s not enough, so defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has called lots of blitzes, especially on third down.

5. What kind of contributions have been made by Dion Jordan and Jamar Taylor, and what can be expected of them moving forward?

Dion Jordan has replaced Ford as the 49ers’ designated speed rusher off the bench. Jordan isn’t half the player Ford is, but the 49ers desperately need a speed rusher — their other pass rushers are defensive tackles. So Jordan has a role on this defense, and he recorded a sack two weeks ago against the Giants. And Taylor now is the 49ers nickel back because starter K’Waun Williams is on injured reserve with an ACL sprain. And Taylor recorded a sack last week against the Eagles. So the two former Dolphins have played well initially for the 49ers, and will need to continue to play well because the 49ers are depending on them.

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