Dolphins @ 49ers
Final Score: 49ers 33, Dolphins 17
Writer: Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)
This gane was a bit of a wild one. Trent Sherfield took the first play of the game to the house for a touchdown to give the Dolphins an early lead, and it looked like the Mentee was going to give the Mentor a run for his money. Then, Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot and left the game, leaving 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy as the starting QB for a team with legitimate Super Bowl hopes. It looked like the Dolphins had themselves a good chance to win this game, but Purdy played well and the 49ers’ defense stepped up in a big way. San Francisco walked away with a lot of questions but yet another win against a top-tier team in the league.
#49ers Brock Purdy on making first start vs Tom Brady: “I think it’s cool. He’s been playing football longer than I’ve been alive,”
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) December 5, 2022
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa: 18/33, 295 Yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Skylar Thompson: 0/1, INT
Tua Tagovailoa had a no good very bad day against this defense. Tua looked lost and confused for a good chunk of the day, or at least when he wasn’t targeting Tyreek Hill. San Francisco’s defense got constant pressure on him and forced Tua into bad throws that resulted in incompletions or picks. Tua was okay for most of the first half, but started the second half with interceptions on the Dolphins’ first two drives and this led to two field goals for San Francisco. Later in the game, Tua was hit as he tried to throw and the ball came loose, resulting in a scoop and score for the 49ers defense. It was clearly a fumble and Tua was then pulled from the game to make way for Skylar Thompson, who ended the game with a pick on his only attempt.
Come on now! DPOY!!! @nbsmallerbear pic.twitter.com/Zgrh6dQodT https://t.co/UVCXxUrqQk
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) December 5, 2022
Game script forced Tua to throw often in the second half, and he was able to connect with Tyreek Hill on a 45-yard touchdown to save his day from a fantasy perspective. Tua is a good QB who simply had a bad day against a good defense.
#Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered an ankle injury late in today’s loss to the #49ers, could've returned to the game, per sources. The injury isn't believed to be significant, and Tua is expected to start next Sunday night vs. the #Chargers.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 5, 2022
Running Back
Jeff Wilson Jr.: 1 Carry, 3 Yards | 2 Targets
Raheem Mostert: 7 Carries, 30 Yards
It was puzzling to see the Dolphins give up on the run game so early in this one. Sure, the 49ers’ run defense is pretty stout, but with how ineffective Tua Tagovailoa was in this game, one would think they would have tried to switch it up at some point in the second half as the game started to get away from them. There was no revenge game for Jeff Wilson Jr. or Raheem Mostert – neither one was given any opportunity to show their old team that they can still play. All credit should be given to the 49ers’ defense for this one.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tyreek Hill: 14 Targets, 9 Receptions, 146 Yards, TD
Trent Sherfield: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 75 Yards, TD
River Cracraft: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 29 Yards
Durham Smythe: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 21 Yards
Alec Ingold: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 15 Yards
Jaylen Waddle: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 9 Yards
Mike Gesicki: 1 Target
Jaylen Waddle left early in this one with an injury, but he did come back in the second half and earned five targets once the game was mostly out of control. Unfortunately, those five targets only amounted to one catch and fantasy managers have to be disappointed with this. Hopefully, he should be fine heading into Week 14.
This Tyreek Hill guy is pretty good, huh? Even against one of the league’s toughest defenses, Tyreek ate. This should probably be expected at this point.
🐆 @Tua to @cheetah! 45 yards! TOUCHDOWN! 🐆 #ProBowlVote | 📺: #MIAvsSF on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/C44niqXdSB
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 4, 2022
Hill was the only one who was able to find much open space against this defense. Trent Sherfield took the first play of the game to the house to start the scoring but wasn’t a factor otherwise.
What a start for Trent Sherfield and the @MiamiDolphins! 😱
📺: #MIAvsSF on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/PMTJ1jGqFs pic.twitter.com/7jnZwDDMYH— NFL (@NFL) December 4, 2022
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: 25/37, 210 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 4 Carries, -1 Yards
Jimmy Garoppolo: 2/4, 56 Yards
BREAKING: #49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot and is done for the season.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 5, 2022
It is officially Brock Purdy SZN. The rookie signal-caller stepped in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and he picked up right where Jimmy left off. Purdy was poised and accurate with his throws, avoiding pressure when necessary and made plays when needed. His interception came on 4th and 4 down the right sideline with five minutes to play in the first half – it was a ball thrown into tight coverage and was a bit underthrown, clearly Purdy’s fault, but it wasn’t the sort of egregious INT you’d expect from a rookie. After the defense forced a three and out, Purdy bounced back by leading the offense on an 11 play, 76-yard touchdown scoring drive right before the half. It was honestly really impressive.
Brock Purdy is officially the first Mr. Irrelevant to ever throw a touchdown pass in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/bxEyRGPjO9
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) December 4, 2022
That doesn’t mean I’m ready to go crown him the next big thing. He is still a rookie and presumably has a lot to learn. It will be interesting to see how he looks in the next 2-3 weeks as teams start to get a better look at him and gameplan for his tendencies. He did a lot of the things well that Jimmy G does well today, so there is hope for 49ers fans. But time will tell.
Brock Purdy was deemed "Mr. Irrelevant" for being the final pick in April's draft.
Turns out he'll be very relevant. 49ers are 8-4 on the season and he's their new starting QB moving forward. pic.twitter.com/zMeVuygP1o
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 5, 2022
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey: 17 Carries, 66 Yards | 10 Targets, 8 Receptions, 80 Yards, TD
Kyle Juszczyk: 1 Carry | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 12 Yards, TD
Jordan Mason: 8 Carries, 51 Yards
Christian McCaffery continues to eat in this offense, racking up the catches as usual and sneaking into the end zone for a short TD catch right before the half. With Purdy starting at QB, they will need to rely on CMC and the run game even more moving forward, and that means more potential work for Jordan Mason. He had a fantastic 19-yard run where he hit a hole hard and made a great cut to take it beyond the second level. He was impressive in his few carries and I think he’s going to benefit from the change at QB more than anyone.
KEEP FEEDING JORDAN MASON! #49ers pic.twitter.com/YB5xd21OM6
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 4, 2022
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Deebo Samuel: 4 Carries, 5 Yards | 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 58 Yards
Brandon Aiyuk: 9 Targets, 5 Receptions, 46 Yards
Jauan Jennings: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 34 Yards
George Kittle: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
Tyler Kroft: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Deebo Samuel looked fully recovered from his lingering knee injury and looked like his usual self. He wasn’t able to find paydirt in this one but the 10 targets are certainly a positive sign for him moving forward. Purdy will need this playmaking group to step up if they’re going to continue to win games. Brandon Aiyuk was covered tightly for most of the game and was targeted on Purdy’s interception. I don’t recall seeing much of George Kittle in this game, which is damning in and of itself.