Instant analysis of 49ers’ 29-17 loss to Dolphins amid playoff elimination
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Five years after losing Super Bowl LIV here, the 49ers’ return to Hard Rock Stadium cruelly coincided with their elimination from this season’s playoff contention — even before kicking off Sunday’s 29-17 defeat to the Dolphins.
Earlier victories by the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams and the wild-card seeking Washington Commanders officially extinguished the 49ers’ miniscule playoff chances, projected at less than 1%.
Thus, the outgoing NFC champions are playing out the string. Their home finale is on Monday night, Dec. 30 against NFC-leading Detroit, then the 49ers’ season closes Jan. 5 at the Arizona Cardinals, who led the NFC West in Week 11 but also got eliminated from contention Sunday.
Many hallmarks of this 6-9 season resurfaced Sunday: injuries, penalties, a lack of takeaways, special-teams woes and a fourth-quarter interception of Purdy, who was hit in the process. That all — and then some — spoiled the 49ers’ first meeting against the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium since 2016.
The last time they stepped on this field, the 49ers fell to the Chiefs 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV after Kansas City rallied in the fourth quarter and Jimmy Garoppolo infamously overthrew an open Emmanuel Sanders. This time, the 49ers’ last-ditch comeback ended when Purdy threw an interception with under two minutes remaining. The 49ers had pulled within 19-17 on Brock Purdy’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Eric Saubert with 12 minutes to go.
It wouldn’t be a 49ers’ defeat without more health issues, from a first-series exit by linebacker Dre Greenlaw (right calf; not left Achilles), to second-half leg injuries for left tackle Jaylon Moore (quadriceps) and left guard Aaron Banks (knee).
The 49ers offense struggled to run – Patrick Taylor Jr. was their fourth different starting running back — so Purdy wisely turned to stalwarts George Kittle and Deebo Samuel for vintage efforts. Kittle closed in on his fourth career 1,000-yard season, reaching 967 yards Sunday with 106 yards on eight catches. Samuel totaled 96 receiving yards (seven catches) and 25 rushing yards (five carries), and he recorded only his second receiving touchdown this season by bounding through four defenders on a 16-yard catch-and-run for a 7-3, first-quarter lead.
Purdy, having lost 11 of his past 24 regular-season starts, at least emerged healthy, and that essentially should be the 49ers’ season-closing goal. A long-term contract extension with him is atop their offseason agenda. He completed 26-of-40 passes for 313 yards.
In the immediate wake of Purdy’s late-game interception — thrown from the 49ers’ 47-yard line, caught by Kader Kohou at the Dolphins’ 33-yard line — the Dolphins converted it into their second touchdown of the game asDe’Von Achane rushed for 50 yards with 1:36 remaining.
The 49ers’ first drive after halftime that defined their season in a nutshell: a starter got hurt (Moore), a pre-snap penalty proved ill-timed (Ricky Pearsall’s illegal formation nullified Samuel’s catch-and-run to the 2), a bad offensive-line block (by Spencer Burford, in his left tackle debut) forced a third-down incompletion, and, a special teams gaffe surfaced (Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt).
In Sunday’s fourth quarter, Purdy’s offensive line consisted of rarely used backups on his blindside. Spencer Burford was at left tackle in place of Moore, who started a fifth straight game in place of Trent Williams. Nick Zakelj took over at left guard when Aaron Banks exited in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.
Sunday’s postseason elimination did not immediately turn Shanahan into a free-wheeling play-caller. He declined to go for it on fourth-and-1 on their opening drive, and he opted for a 21-yard field goal by Moody after a third-and-goal incompletion from the 3.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, Shanahan’s long-time protégé, wasn’t any more aggressive. The Dolphins got five field goals from Jason Sanders, the last of which came with 2 minutes remaining.
The 49ers surrendered their only lead 3:20 before halftime, when Tyreek Hill scored on a 3-yard touchdown catch against Charvarius Ward, both of whom were on the Chiefs when they beat the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV here. It was Tua Tagovailoa’s 100th-career touchdown pass, and it put Miami ahead 13-7.
Samuel had put the 49ers ahead 7-3 with 2021-like dominance and determination on the second snap of the second quarter. Samuel scored on a 16-yard catch-and-run, first catching it at the 10-yard line, then banging off a trio of defenders and ultimately dragging a fourth Dolphin across the goal line. It was only his second touchdown catch this season, the other coming Oct. 10 at Seattle.
Greenlaw started a second straight game but sustained a first-series injury to his right calf. Although it was his left Achilles he tore in last season’s Super Bowl, Greenlaw dealt with tendinitis in his right Achilles in the weeks leading up to that season finale. Greenlaw, after a 10-month recovery, made his season debut in the 49ers’ Dec. 12 loss to Los Angeles. He exited in the third quarter because of tightness to that left leg, and that set off a chain of events in which De’Vondre Campbell refused to enter in relief and thus got suspended the rest of this season.