The 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention before Sunday’s game in Miami got underway, but the Dolphins will live at least a little longer.
Cornerback Kader Kohou picked off 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy just after the two-minute warning and running back De’Von Achane sprinted 50 yards for a touchdown a couple of plays later to put the finishing touches on a 29-17 win. Achane probably should have taken a knee instead of scoring with 96 seconds left to play, but rookie Chop Robinson sacked Purdy to burn the final Niners timeout with 49 seconds left to play and the clock ran out from there.
Winning assures the Dolphins will still have a chance to make the playoffs heading into Week 17. They’ll need to beat the Browns and get help from the Bengals against the Broncos before even thinking about Week 18, so it’s not a great chance but it certainly beats the alternative.
Achane ran 17 times for 121 yards and caught six passes for 70 yards to pace the offensive effort on Sunday afternoon. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa also hit wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a touchdown in the first half to reach 100 for his career and kicker Jason Sanders made five field goals to provide the rest of the scoring.
Robinson’s sack was one of three for the Dolphins and the defense did a good job of keeping the 49ers from generating momentum over the course of the afternoon. Purdy finished 26-of-40 for 313 yards and he had two touchdowns to go with the pick while the injury-ravaged running back corps did little to move the ball on the ground.
The 49ers will host the Lions on Monday night in what will serve as a sad reminder of last season’s NFC Championship Game for the home team.
Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson said that he was viewing Sunday’s game against the Bengals as a chance to audition for the starting job in 2025, but he didn’t make much of a case for himself.
Thompson-Robinson was 20-of-34 for 157 yards and two interceptions while being sacked five times in a 24-6 loss. One of Thompson-Robinson’s interceptions came in the end zone and Thompson-Robinson didn’t try to find a bright side to his outing.
“It wasn’t a good day. I know we had good moments, but good moments don’t win football games,” Thompson-Robinson said, via the team’s website. “Good moments are not the definition of a quarterback. A quarterback is there to play a complete full game and to lead his team to victory. I did not do that today.”
Thompson-Robinson is set for another chance to show his stuff, however. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he plans to start Thompson-Robinson against the Dolphins in Week 17. Former starter Jameis Winston and Bailey Zappe are the other options on the 53-man roster.
The Dolphins need a win over the 49ers on Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive and they’ve done enough through 30 minutes to put themselves in position to get it.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s 100th career touchdown pass gave the Dolphins a lead in the second quarter and their defense held the 49ers to a late field goal that ensured they would remain up at the halftime break. It’s 13-10 Dolphins and they’ll get the ball to start the second half.
Tagovailoa hit wide receiver Tyreek Hill for the milestone score. He joins Dan Marino, Bob Griese, and Ryan Tannehill as quarterbacks to throw for 100 touchdowns while playing for Miami.
Tagovailoa is 13-of-20 for 141 yards overall and running back De’Von Achane has picked up 76 yards from scrimmage thus far. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is 11-of-18 for 142 yards and a touchdown. Deebo Samuel had the score while tight end George Kittle leads the team with 45 receiving yards.
The Dolphins have an early lead on the 49ers in Miami.
Jason Sanders hit a 44-yard field goal to end the Dolphins’ second possession of the day and they lead the 49ers 3-0 with 3:30 left in the first quarter. It looked like the Dolphins might be able to get six, but a Tua Tagovailoa pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the end zone was altered just enough by Deommodore Lenoir to force an incompletion.
The 49ers defense took a hit before the field goal when linebacker Dre Greenlaw left with a calf injury. Greenlaw, who was questionable with Achilles and knee issues coming into the game, has been called questionable to return.
The 49ers have punted on both of their possessions with a Jordyn Brooks sack helping to spoil their second one.
The 49ers had a couple of key defensive players listed as questionable for Sunday’s game in Miami and both of them got the green light to play 90 minutes ahead of kickoff.
Defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Dre Greenlaw will both be active against the Dolphins. It will be the first game at Hard Rock Stadium for both players since their Super Bowl LIV loss to the Chiefs.
The 49ers ruled running back Isaac Guerendo and left tackle Trent Williams out on Friday. Defensive end Robert Beal, defensive lineman Khalil Davis, quarterback Joshua Dobbs, tight end Jake Tonges, and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin are also inactive.
Word on Sunday morning was that wide receiver Tyreek Hill would play for the Dolphins despite a wrist injury and he’s active along with left tackle Terron Armstead and right tackle Kendall Lamm. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is out after being listed as doubtful. Offensive lineman Andrew Meyer, cornerback Ethan Bonner, linebacker Mohamed Kamara, wide receiver Dee Eskridge, and linebacker Channing Tindall are the other scratches.
