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Dolphins still have slim playoff chances following win over 49ers: Key takeaways

23 December 2024Last Update :
Dolphins still have slim playoff chances following win over 49ers: Key takeaways

The Miami Dolphins remain in postseason contention with two regular-season games left to play following a 29-17 win over the visiting San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

The Dolphins (7-8) led most of the way, including throughout the second half, on the way to their fifth win in the past seven games.

Tua Tagovailoa’s touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill gave Miami the lead for good late in the second quarter, and De’Von Achane’s 50-yard rushing touchdown with less than two minutes to play in the game extended the Dolphins’ lead to 12 points. Jason Sanders had five field goals for Miami in the win.

Achane led the Dolphins in both rushing (season-best 120 yards) and receiving (70), while Tagovailoa threw for 215 yards and the touchdown.

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, while George Kittle had 106 receiving yards and Deebo Samuel Sr. added 96 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Purdy’s first touchdown pass to Samuel early in the second gave the 49ers their only lead of the game. The second to Eric Saubert cut Miami’s lead as close as two early in the fourth, but the Dolphins answered with the last of Sanders’ field goals. An interception led to Achane’s touchdown run to close out the win.

The 49ers (6-9) have now lost five of their past six and were eliminated from playoff contention following wins from the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders earlier Sunday.

Dolphins remain in playoff contention with win

Hill, who was questionable for Sunday’s game with a wrist injury, finished with a modest three catches for 29 yards in a 29-17 win that kept the Dolphins’ faint playoff hopes alive. That stat line included Miami’s first touchdown, a 3-yard grab in which cornerback Charvarius Ward had tight coverage but Tagovailoa put the ball on Hill’s chest just before the goal line. Hill, who was coming off a two-catch outing in a loss to the Houston Texans, would have had a higher total if not for a third-down drop on the Dolphins’ opening drive as well as a would-be touchdown catch in the third quarter that slipped through his arms.

Miami played without receiver Jaylen Waddle, who was out with a knee injury. The team’s leading pass catchers Sunday were Achane, who finished with a team-high 70 receiving yards (to go along with 121 rushing yards), and tight end Jonnu Smith, who had 62 yards. Smith set the franchise record for a tight end in both catches (75) and receiving yards (798) during the game. — Matt Barrows, 49ers beat writer

Samuel totals 121 yards, TD

The 49ers got a pair of recently low-producing receivers involved in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins. Samuel hadn’t had any more than 35 combined receiving and rushing yards in any of his last five games, which was interpreted as a sign that he was slowing down and that his tenure with the 49ers might be coming to a close.

He sent a message that he’s not finished yet by leaving a trail of broken tackles and finishing with 121 combined yards. That included a 16-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter in which he broke through tackle attempts from two Dolphins and crashed into the end zone. It was his first score since Week 6. Another 16 yarder, one in which he ran out of another tackle attempt and managed to stay on his feet, would have set the 49ers up at Miami’s 2-yard line in the third quarter, but was wiped out by a penalty.

Meanwhile, rookie Ricky Pearsall hadn’t had any more than one catch in each of his last five games. Purdy went in his direction four times in the first half with Pearsall hauling in all four for 37 yards. Pearsall, however, wasn’t targeted in the second half and was twice flagged for illegal formation in the third quarter, the second of which wiped out Samuel’s 16-yard gain. — Barrows

49ers linebacker exits with injury

The 49ers played virtually the entire game without linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who injured his calf on the opening drive. The 49ers reported the injury was to Greenlaw’s right leg. He ruptured his left Achilles in February and spent most of the 2024 season rehabilitating from the injury. Greenlaw looked sharp in playing nearly all of the first half in last week’s loss to the Rams, his first game back from the injury. The plan, coach Kyle Shanahan said later, was to hold him out for most of the third quarter so that he’d be available at game’s end. Greenlaw, however, didn’t make it that long. He complained of tightness in his right knee and Achilles and went to the sideline for good early in the third quarter.

On Sunday, Greenlaw was seen stretching on the sideline and otherwise trying to keep the calf loose during the game. He did not have his helmet on and never attempted to return to the game. Dee Winters filled in at weakside linebacker while Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was the No. 3 linebacker. Normally, De’Vondre Campbell would have filled in at one of the linebacker spots. However, the 49ers suspended him last week after he refused to enter the Rams game. — Barrows

Required reading

  • NFL Week 16 scores and live updates: Playoff picture, standings, inactives, predictions, betting odds and more
  • Inside the mind — and tattoos — of 49ers’ George Kittle, one of the NFL’s most interesting players
  • Tua Tagovailoa can’t solve Texans’ D, Ty Johnson shines, more Week 15 thoughts: Quick Outs

(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

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