What to observe for Miami-San Francisco sport

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MIAMI GARDENS — Issues haven’t gone the way in which the Miami Dolphins (6-8) deliberate this season. The identical is true for Sunday’s opponent, San Francisco (6-8), which can also be coping with huge disappointment.

The storyline of the longtime friendship between Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan received’t be a focus this 12 months because it was in 2022 when these groups met.

Reasonably, Sunday’s focus shall be which of those groups can win and maintain hopes alive for a successful document.

Issues have modified.

With that in thoughts, listed below are 5 issues to search for in Sunday’s matchup: 

Motivation

Playoff hopes are skinny. Typically groups select to combat on this state of affairs, typically groups select to not. We’ll see what occurs with this Dolphins staff. And we’ll see if these skinny playoff hopes are sufficient to maintain them motivated.

In the event that they don’t assume their postseason hopes are reasonable, maybe they’ll take into consideration ending with a successful document. Contemplating this staff had reliable playoff expectations getting into the season, there’s an enormous distinction between ending with a successful document and a dropping document. Ending with a dropping document represents a complete failure, whereas ending with a successful document exhibits you weren’t that distant out of your objective. The Dolphins should win all three of their remaining video games to have a successful document.

Offensive manufacturing inconsistent

The Dolphins common a decent 25 factors per sport in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s eight video games again from a concussion. However they’re solely 4-4 in that span.

That’s partly as a result of the Dolphins have run up huge level totals in opposition to unhealthy groups comparable to New England (34 factors) and Las Vegas (34 factors) and few factors in opposition to good groups comparable to Inexperienced Bay (17 factors) and Houston (12 factors).

The 49ers, with their document, are someplace within the center.

We’ll see whether or not the Dolphins offense, which is twenty fourth in factors per sport (19.7), exhibits up on Sunday.

Defending Tua

Tagovailoa may not have offensive tackles Terron Armstead (knee) and Kendall Lamm (again) for Sunday’s sport. Each missed the Houston sport.

Tagovailoa was sacked thrice and always harassed by the Texans, and one thing comparable appears seemingly this week in opposition to the 49ers if rookie left sort out Patrick Paul and proper sort out Jackson Carman get the beginning as soon as once more.

Maybe the Dolphins will maintain tight ends and working backs in to dam extra incessantly. The down facet to that, nevertheless, is they may not have sufficient wholesome huge receivers to make that worthwhile if Tyreek Hill, River Cracraft and Malik Washington are the one wholesome ones on the 53-man roster.

Vast receiver Jaylen Waddle (knee) is likely to be a game-time resolution.

The Dolphins must get inventive to maintain Tagovailoa upright whereas protecting drives shifting.

Run sport

It’s not clear how the Dolphins will handle to run the ball successfully in opposition to San Francisco. The Dolphins are twenty sixth in dashing offense (101.4 yards per sport). The 49ers are a middling fifteenth in run protection (117.8 ypg allowed). However the Dolphins’ working backs are struggling.

De’Von Achane, the second-year speedster who averaged 7.8 yards per carry as a rookie, is averaging a really mortal 3.9 ypc this season. His 641 yards dashing lead the Dolphins, and is comfortably forward of rookie Jaylen Wright (253 yards) and veteran Raheem Mostert (244), however none of that is sufficient to frighten San Francisco.

Tagovailoa is feeling the shortfall. He’s averaging 43 cross makes an attempt per sport prior to now 4 video games. In the meantime, the Dolphins have averaged simply 58 yards per sport dashing of their previous six video games.

Fan curiosity, fan temper

It’s season ticket renewal time, and followers aren’t completely happy. We’ll see how sad they’re by Sunday’s attendance, and the temper of these attending. If the Dolphins get off to a quick begin, nicely, completely happy days are right here once more.

Nonetheless, if the Dolphins discover themselves with, say, a 10-point halftime deficit, nicely, count on the boo birds to come back out.

It’ll be attention-grabbing to see whether or not these in attendance are affected person or understanding. Feelings are working scorching after final week’s 20-12 loss at Houston that virtually ended the Dolphins’ playoff hopes for 2024. 

To that finish, let’s simply say it’d be greatest for all if the Dolphins win on Sunday.

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