Why the Dolphins Will Win, Why They Will Lose, And What's Actually Going to Happen

The Miami Dolphins' tough opening stretch to open the 2020 regular season will continue Sunday with a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium.

The Dolphins are coming off a 31-23 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, while the 49ers dropped a 25-20 decision against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Sunday night game.

Here are different ways this game could play out:

The Dolphins will win because ...

-- Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will avoid the interceptions that plagued him against Seattle last week but pass for more than 300 yards again.

-- The Dolphins will find a way to have success in or just outside the red zone, reversing what happened against Seattle.

-- Running back Matt Breida will pick up where he left off last week and be a big factor in the passing game.

-- The new-look offensive line will get the job done against the 49ers pass rush and give Fitzpatrick the time he needs.

-- Wide receiver Preston Williams will break out with his first big game of the 2020 season.

-- The Dolphins will put a renewed emphasis on tight end Mike Gesicki and he'll respond with a big game.

-- The Dolphins harass Jimmy Garoppolo and his inability to scramble the way he normally coming back from an ankle injury leads to some sacks for the defense.

-- Byron Jones celebrates his return to action with a key interception.

-- The Dolphins find a way to control tight end George Kittle one week after he catches 15 passes for 183 yards.

-- Kicker Jason Sanders continues his perfect start and nails a last-second field goal for a big Dolphins win.

The Dolphins will lose because ...

-- Jimmy Garoppolo comes back and has a big game, silencing anybody still thinking that maybe Nick Mullens could do just as well running the 49ers offense despite what happened last Sunday night.

-- Raheem Mostert comes back from his knee injury and puts up big numbers against the team for which he played his first NFL game.

-- George Kittle will do to the Dolphins exactly what he did to the Philadelphia Eagles.

-- The 49ers running game will control the clock and chew up big yardage.

-- The 49ers defense will take advantage of the new-look offensive line and pressure Fitzpatrick into some bad throws and will turn those turnovers into points.

-- The Dolphins again will be unable to convert scoring opportunities into touchdowns.

-- Sanders will pick the wrong time to have his first miss of the season.

What actually will happen ...

We're a perfect 4-0 in picking Dolphins games this season, using the simple logic in picking the better team each particular week.

Following that formula, we have to go with the 49ers here.

While San Francisco clearly isn't the same team that went to the Super Bowl last season because of injuries and the dubious trade of star defensive lineman DeForrest Buckner to Indianapolis in the offseason, the 49ers still are a better team than the Dolphins.

But not by much.

The Dolphins gave themselves a chance to win their games against New England, Buffalo and Seattle before losing, and it's easy to see them again being in the game in the fourth quarter at San Francisco.

This, of course, presumes the new-look offensive line, minus first-round pick Austin Jackson, can get the job done against what is a solid 49ers front seven.

It says here the Dolphins offensive line will do just fine, Fitzpatrick will have a better game than he did against Seattle (even though he wasn't nearly as bad as many Dolphins fans would have you believe), but in the end it will be another frustrating afternoon with another close loss.

49ers 23, Dolphins 21

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