San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins: Full Report Card Grades for 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are no strangers to firing out of the gates with early leads. A team that has a knack for squandering games midway through the third quarter did exactly that against the Miami Dolphins.
A team that lost a franchise-worst 10th consecutive game, it doesn't look like things are going to get better anytime soon as the 49ers lost to the Dolphins 31-24 on Sunday.
The 49ers' top rusher? Colin Kaepernick. The team's top wide receiver? Rod Streater, who finished with four catches for 46 yards. The numbers don't lie, and the 49ers simply don't have the horses to keep up with quality NFL teams. That's the truth.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill delivered three touchdown passes to three different receivers while completing 20 of 30 passes for 285 yards.
Quarterback
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49ers QB Colin Kaepernick took the field with a shower of boos from the crowd, but that didn't stop him from getting off to a hot start. On the team's first possession, Kaepernick delivered a 62-yard scoring drive, which resulted in an 11-yard touchdown reception coming out of the flat. Kaepernick completed four of five passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.
He followed that up with a nice encore performance by keeping the second drive alive with a 14-yard scramble on 3rd-and-5. It was a good decision by Kaepernick that did wonders for the defense as it kept the defense off the field for at least three more plays.
The success was short-lived. On the first play of the second half, Kaepernick threw a contested pass that was picked off by Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso. Kaepernick bounced back by throwing two touchdown passes in the second half to keep the 49ers within striking distance. However, it wasn't enough in the end, as Kaepernick completed 29 of 46 passes for 296 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
The Nevada product also delivered with his most prized asset—his legs—by chewing up a team-high 113 yards on the ground on 10 carries.
Grade: A
Running Backs
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49ers running back Carlos Hyde racked up 24 yards on just three touches on the team's first drive. A possession that only saw tight end Vance McDonald and wide receiver Quinton Patton targeted aside from Hyde, it was the Ohio State product who capped off the 62-yard drive by scoring an 11-yard touchdown reception.
Hyde established a strong running presence despite going against a stacked box. From breaking tackles at or near the line of scrimmage to punishing defensive backs downfield, Hyde proved his worth on limited touches as he finished with 13 carries for 65 yards (5.0 average).
While Hyde proved his worth in the run game, it was running back Shaun Draughn who showed his skill set in the team's passing game by racking up six receptions for 49 yards.
Grade: B
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
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McDonald had a crucial touchdown drop in the back of the end zone on the team's first drive. Let's just say he had a case of alligator arms. Garrett Celek didn't fare much better with a costly fumble but would later redeem himself in the third quarter by capping off a 91-yard scoring drive with a four-yard touchdown reception.
Rookie wide receiver Aaron Burbridge was called for a 10-yard holding penalty on the team's second drive. An unnecessary play that saw wide receiver Torrey Smith catch a screen pass along the Dolphins sideline, Burbridge made a poor decision that set the team back 10 additional yards, ultimately ending the drive.
The 49ers wide receivers, as a unit, were nonexistent during first-half play, evident by two catches for 18 yards. Another storyline of the 49ers' bleak season, there are no playmakers on that side of the ball from a receivers standpoint.
Grade: D
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Offensive Line
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The 49ers interior linemen met their match today as Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh created consistent pressure up front while clogging up running lanes. Left guard Zane Beadles and right guard Joshua Garnett were both seen having a hard time moving the Dolphins defensive tackles off their spots.
The player who struggled the worst was second-year right tackle Trent Brown. For the third week in a row, Brown gave up a sack to a speedy edge-rusher. Last week, it was Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich, and today, it was defensive end Cameron Wake. Combine that with a crucial holding penalty that set the team's drive back, and you have a bad game for the Florida product.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
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49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner continues to have missed tackles at or near the line of scrimmage. He had one in first-quarter play while providing little to no pass rush. However, it was another rookie who delivered, as fifth-round pick defensive end Ronald Blair finally had the lion's share of reps while making the most of his opportunity.
If you read my preview today on NinerFans.com, then you would know I predicted Blair to have a big day if he had a high rep count. He delivered. Blair notched his first career NFL sack while bringing constant pressure off the edge in the passing game.
A big reason why Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi was held to 45 rushing yards on 18 carries, the 49ers defensive line did an admirable job maintaining gap integrity.
Grade: C
Linebackers
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49ers second-year outside linebacker Eli Harold made a nice play during the first quarter where he set the edge and brought down the ball-carrier near the line of scrimmage. However, he did give up a two-yard touchdown to Ajayi off a simple quick toss. Harold was matched up one-on-one based on assignment but was unable to set the edge because Ajayi's speed was too much to handle.
The lone bright spot continues to be veteran outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks. From setting the edge in run support to supplying a healthy pass rush, Brooks played fundamentally sound football throughout the game while being the team's tone-setter. Brooks would finish the game with four tackles, 0.5 sacks and a tackle for loss.
Grade: C
Secondary
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49ers cornerback Tramaine Brock continued to get burned deep as wide receiver DeVante Parker ran a simple go route en route to a 46-yard gain. Brock simply doesn't have the second gear to stay stride-for-stride with speedy wide receivers while having limited ball skills—and this play was a perfect example.
On the flip side, rookie fourth-round pick (No. 133) cornerback Rashard Robinson and defensive back Jimmie Ward held their own while keeping wide receivers at bay. During first-half play, both players were tested deep, but both passes were dropped for incompletions. Tannehill found out early that Brock was the player to target.
Ward did, however, allow wide receiver Dion Sims a free release inside the red zone, which led to a 16-yard touchdown catch. Whether Ward was responsible is debatable since he was playing outside leverage, but nonetheless, someone should've chipped Sims off the line of scrimmage to make it more difficult for him to come out of his stem.
Then to kick off the fourth quarter, Leonte Carroo delivered a 15-yard touchdown reception by throwing out a stiff-arm to prevent Ward from making a touchdown-saving tackle. It was not a good day for Ward, who was beat more times than not. It's becoming more apparent he's playing out of position and should be playing free safety, not cornerback, something I mentioned in my game-day preview on NinerFans.com.
Grade: D
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