The Miami Dolphins are already in deep trouble, dropping to 0-2 to start the 2026 season after getting absolutely steamrolled by the San Francisco 49ers, 35-13. Honestly, if it wasn’t for a garbage-time touchdown, that score would have looked way uglier. This is just brutal for Jeff Hafley in his first year as head coach, and there’s not a lot looking up right now.
The Offense Can’t Finish Drives and Willis Is Still Holding On Too Long
Offensively, the Dolphins showed flashes early on, moving the ball downfield effectively, but man, they just *could not* punch it in. Their first three possessions? All ended in field goal attempts. Riley Patterson hit two out of three, which is fine, but when you run 28 plays deep in San Francisco territory in the first half and only walk away with 6 points, that’s a problem. Meanwhile, the Niners were scoring touchdowns on their first five drives, just making it look effortless. They didn’t even punt until the fourth quarter when it was already 35-6. Quarterback Malik Willis is a huge part of this, consistently holding onto the ball too long, struggling to find open receivers, and getting flushed out of the pocket. He got sacked *four times* in this game. Plus, he completed just seven passes to wide receivers. After showing some promise in Week 1, rookie Caleb Douglas only caught two passes for 19 yards, and Chris Bell had just one target for zero receptions. That’s gotta change for them to put up more than 13 points a game.
The Defense Is Giving Up Everything and Can’t Get Off the Field
This was an atrocious day for the Miami defense, plain and simple. They couldn’t get off the field all game until the score was completely out of reach. Brock Purdy absolutely diced them up, passing for 287 yards and two touchdowns, completing 20-of-22 attempts for an insane 149.1 passer rating. And get this: Purdy wasn’t sacked *a single time*. That’s the second week in a row this defense couldn’t get any pressure on the quarterback. Purdy even added a rushing touchdown for three total on the day. Miami’s defense forced just two third-down situations on the Niners’ first three possessions, and San Francisco finished the day converting five for seven on third down. One tackle for loss all game and zero turnovers? That’s just not going to cut it.
The Dolphins did try to lean into De’Von Achane more, giving him 20 carries for 74 yards on the ground and 19 receiving yards on three catches. That’s a lot more touches than his 15 in Week 1, even if his 3.7 yards per carry average isn’t his usual efficiency. The problem is, they were trailing almost the entire game, so the offense couldn’t really stick with the run plan. This team has a ton to clean up on offense, defense, and special teams if they want to avoid another blowout. Next weekend, they’re hosting the Kansas City Chiefs for their home opener. It’s time to figure things out, quick.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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