It would appear that way, but I'm gonna make a bold prediction here: Not only do the Dolphins cover, I think this is a one-score game. This has the makings of a trap-game for SF. A letdown against the Rams last week and a big game against New England next week. Then you have Kaepernick, who isn't as good at taking care of the ball as Smith, and it's a real possibility this game is closer than people think. Now, obviously Tannehill will have his hands full. I think if the Dolphins can run the ball early it'll open some things up in the passing game though. We'll see.
He certainly might. This is one helluva defense. I'd like to see how the rook does against a defense that is legitimately bad ***.
I would be with you on that if they had beaten St. Louis handily. But coming home off of a loss in a game they should've won, look out. There will be none of the complacency you would need from a team like SF against a team like us for this to have the necessary ingredients of an upset IMO.
That will be a big challenge for Miami. Their front seven is probably the best in the league. If the running game is to open up, it will have to be with Daniel Thomas, not Reggie. Bush is just not very physical, and Miami needs physical against this squad.
I wouldn't put too much into that. I remember how the 49ers were supposed to be upset with the Giants because of last season
See, I've always thought a team was just as likely to get complacent after a game they've should've won than a game they won handily. I'm not saying the Dolphins will win, but I anticipate it being close, mainly because I think the Dolphins limit Kaepernick. To me, he's a less talented version of Russel Wilson, who the Dolphins did a decent job against.
Agreed, which is why I don't think they'll win. Maligned as it is in some areas, this defense can keep it close against anyone.
Big game against NE next week would be a factor that could lead to a trap game, but having lost last week I think more than cancels it out. Jim Harbaugh has probably been in their ear about that loss all week. And it goes without saying that since Harbaugh took over, the 49ers have never dropped two in a row. In fact, the week after a loss (or tie) the 49ers have outscored their opponents an astonishing 138-24. You read that right. In the games immediately proceeding the 49ers' six losses/ties over the last two seasons, the defense has given up a TOTAL of 24 points. That's 4 points a game. They're going to be out for blood.
Miami has had their troubles with QBs extending plays. Many teams do, but this team is not adept at staying on their man on a play extended by a scrambling QB.
That is a pretty good stat. It helps that they've played the Jets and Seahawks after losses this year, and Rams and Bengals after losses last year though. Still, they have rebounded nicely.
I think if they had won the game last week, your scenario would make sense. Unfortunately they lost to the Rams and I think they are going into the Dolphin game upset with themselves. I think the 49er's defense will dominant the Dolphins offense and the 49er's will score enough points to win by 10 or more points. I would be very surprised to see the 49er's have another letdown after losing to the Rams last week.
Jon Martin is going to have his hands full but I think he will do better at LT than at Rt. No one really shuts down Aldon Smith but Martin is athletic enough and has good enough footwork to stay in front of him. The harder matchup for Jon Martin will be when he gets matched up on Justin Smith. We already know that Martin is not one of the stronger tackles around but Smith is one of the strongest DE's around. Hopefully he manages to not get pushed back. The hardest part will be when SF stunts which they do a lot of with those two cats. Got to put Fasano on the left side imo.
And when we fast forward a week from now and we're talking about how the 49ers have only allowed X number of points in 7 games over the last two years immediately proceeding a loss or tie, we're going to be saying "It helps that they've played the Dolphins, Jets and Seahawks after losses this year, and Rams and Bengals after losses last year though." What exactly separates the Dolphins' offense (18.9 PPG) from the Seahawks' offense (20.2 PPG), Jets offense (19.0 PPG) or Bengals 2011 offense (20.2 PPG)? If anything it makes the stat all the more relevant and poignant that those offenses were similar to our own in terms of success.
All true, they are comparable offenses. Just saying it helps that after losses they're playing against teams scoring a Max of 20 PPG, and not say, the Pats, Houston, Denver or New Orleans. I don't disagree with your premise though. I just think the Dolphins D has a great chance to keep the game close, even if the offense may not fair extremely well.
Well I certainly think we will all agree that Jake Long needs to be re signed after this game. I forgot he was out....Damn we are toast..
Oh yeah? Well Cam Wake says that Colin Kaepernick is a serviceable quarterback. It's definitely not Young in there.
I think he means that Long's future with our organization may very well be based on how Martin performs.
With the challenges our tackles had today, I felt our g-c-g interior had to dominate for us to win. They didn't. We didn't.
Why? San Francisco more than handled us today. Our offense looked as anemic as ever. They ran the ball down our throats too.
