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What the Week 2 Film Told Us About the Miami Dolphins

Miami's struggles up front continue against the red-hot 49ers.
Tyler DeSena|
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle runs the ball against Miami Dolphins safety Zayne Anderson in the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle runs the ball against Miami Dolphins safety Zayne Anderson in the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Miami Dolphins

For the second week in a row, the Miami Dolphins were dominated in all three phases of the game. The All-22 tape from their recent outing against the San Francisco 49ers tells a more in-depth story, though, so let’s take a look at some of the key moments and trends from Week 2.

Even Worse than I Thought

Right tackle Austin Jackson has been the subject of highlight reel plays for Maxx Crosby and Nick Bosa to start the season, and rewatching Week 2 is somehow worse than I initially thought.

Miami played the better part of the first half with a run-heavy and play-action mindset. When they got into true drop-back looks, though, it was a disaster up front.

Miami's second offensive drive started strong, but took a turn for the worse in the red zone. A rare pressure allowed by Aaron Brewer combined with a poor decision by Malik Willis resulted in the Dolphins facing third-and-goal from the 10-yard line.

On this play, Willis is almost immediately moved off of his spot, which doesn’t allow him to fully get through his progression. His effort to make something happen out-of-structure ultimately fails, and the Dolphins are forced to settle for a field goal.

Even Willis’ best play began with a pressure allowed by Jackson. On third-and-9, Miami leaves Jackson one-on-one with Nick Bosa, which results in both of them finding their way into the lap of the quarterback. From there, Willis miraculously escapes and finds Malik Washington for an explosive pass.

The road doesn’t get easier for Jackson. Games against the Chiefs and Vikings are coming up, and defensive coordinators Steve Spagnuolo and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores are adept at dialing up pressures. It might be time to make a move, especially considering Miami’s underwhelming receiving options doing little to get this passing game off the ground.

The Shanahan Predicament

Miami's run defense, especially in their front four, was among the reasons they lost their Week 1 matchup with Las Vegas. Without Chop Robinson in Week 2, it was the play-action that burned them.

Brock Purdy went 8-for-9 for 127 yards and a touchdown off play-action, averaging 1.17 EPA per dropback, per NFL Pro. That mark was almost double second place in Week 2 (Raiders QB Kirk Cousins’ 0.63 on seven attempts).

Miami’s lack of true wins up front, in combination with excellent designs from Kyle Shanahan, consistently put Miami’s linebackers in a bind. When they stepped up to defend the potential run, Purdy would loft the ball over them for a big gain.

George Kittle’s 40-yard reception to open the third quarter is a prime example of this. San Francisco pulls left guard Connor Colby and fullback Kyle Juszczyk across the formation, and fakes a pitch to Christian McCaffrey. This is more than enough to pull Jacob Rodriguez down, leaving Kittle with no defender within 5 yards of him.

Miami’s EPA per rush allowed was only the 10nth-worst mark at -0.02, but they almost doubled the second-highest rate against the pass (1.05 to Arizona’s 0.57) and only pressured the quarterback six times, which ties them for the least a team has done so in a game this season.

The Tush Push

On a fourth-and-inches early in the game, Miami pulled out a Philadelphia Eagles staple, which might prove to be effective in short-yardage looks off the back of their massive offensive guard, Kadyn Proctor.

From the end zone angle, it’s clear that Proctor’s size and ability to get low are what lead to defensive tackle Gracen Halton being pushed off the ball, making the sneak easier to convert for quarterback Malik Willis. Miami was able to pick this one up, and with Proctor’s size and raw power, they may look to this more often as the season goes on.

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Tyler DeSena
TYLER DESENA

Tyler DeSena is currently a journalism student at the University of Central Florida. Prior to joining Dolphins On SI in 2026, DeSena worked with dolphinstalk.com, and created independent social media content on X, YouTube and TikTok.

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