Santa Clara – The 49ers are making an early statement this season, and Sunday’s home opener was another display of dominance from a team firing on all cylinders. The Niners cruised past the Miami Dolphins 35-13 in their home opener, delivering a complete performance on both sides of the ball. Brock Purdy led the way offensively, throwing three touchdown passes while adding a rushing touchdown of his own.
“Watching how he handles the ball, that pass he threw to Mike Evans,” said George Kittle. “He manages to roll out, pump fakes a guy, keeps his eyes downfield and throws it. Quarterbacks who don’t have confidence aren’t going to make that pass, but he makes it. He sees that Mike Evans is down there, he has a step on the guy, ‘I can make that throw.’ He’s doing it all day. We’ve saw it all throughout training camp and we’ve seen it against the Rams. He’s stepping into throws, throwing deep balls to Deebo, Mike, everybody.”
Purdy was phenomenal with his reads throughout the game, consistently finding ways to keep the Dolphins defense off balance. He connected with Evans on a deep 27-yard completion that brought the 49ers to the 1-yard line and set up McCaffrey’s second touchdown of the night. Purdy finished the game 20-of-22 passing for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 30 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown, showcasing his ability to make plays both through the air and on the ground.
Purdy made the most of his offensive weapons, spreading the ball around and connecting with Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk for touchdowns, while also moving the chains with Evans, Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel. His ability to distribute the ball and consistently make the right reads kept San Francisco’s offense in control throughout the game. Purdy completed 90.9% of his passes on the day, marking the second-highest completion percentage of his career, behind his 95.2% performance against Arizona on October 1, 2023. His 90.9% completion rate also ranks as the second-highest single-game completion percentage in 49ers franchise history among quarterbacks with at least 20 attempts.
“From the get-go, we knew the reason why we went out to Australia early was to get ready for that game,” Purdy said. “Coming into this game, we knew the Dolphins, their whole story and stuff, it is what it is. It’s the NFL. You never know, anything can happen on Sundays. So for us, it’s like, ‘How can we just be our best, play our way of football and keep our heads down and let the game play out itself?’ And so, that’s what we were saying all week and I thought we went out there and did that today.
And then the Mike Evans play, it was great for him to just keep running. There was a guy chasing him, obviously man-coverage behind him. And so, for Mike to use his length to reach out and get the ball and make a play like that was pretty special too. So yeah, just two guys, obviously extremely great playmakers. And for me, it’s ‘How can I get the ball to them?’ Kyle does a good job with putting me in those positions too.”
McCaffrey recorded 10 carries for 23 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while adding four receptions for 43 yards through the air. His two rushing touchdowns marked his first of the season and brought his career total to 64 rushing touchdowns. Today’s game marked the 114th of McCaffrey’s career, and he reached another major milestone, recording his 100th career total touchdown. Through 114 career games, McCaffrey has totaled 100 touchdowns, 64 rushing and 36 receiving. His 100 total touchdowns in 114 games make him the fourth-fastest player to reach at least 100 total touchdowns in a career since 1966.
Obviously, the scoreboard’s been great the last two weeks, but there are so many things we can always get better at and our standard is going to continue to rise,” said McCaffrey. “That’s really what we’re focused on. Obviously, you love games like this but that’s not how every game is. It is about continuing to prepare the right way so that each week we’ve put in the correct kind of work so we can show up and execute.”
Purdy wasted no time going back to work in the second half, connecting with Kittle for a 40-yard gain to set up another scoring opportunity. In just four plays, Purdy found a wide open Kittle in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The 49ers covered 65 yards on four plays, opening the second half with another statement drive. Purdy continued spreading the ball around on San Francisco’s next scoring possession, connecting with Kyle Juszczyk for a 6-yard touchdown. The 49ers marched 71 yards on eight plays over five minutes, adding another touchdown and continuing their offensive surge.
It was also a day of milestones and firsts for several 49ers players, giving the team’s offensive weapons plenty of opportunities to shine. Kittle finished with four receptions for a team-high 80 yards and one touchdown. His touchdown reception marked his first of the season and the 53rd of his career. Juszczyk also made his mark, recording two receptions for 27 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown reception. His touchdown reception marked his first of the season and the 21st of his career.
The Dolphins struggled to answer, coming up empty on their opening possession after missing a 52-yard field-goal attempt. Riley Patterson later connected on a 28-yard field goal, and with just 0.2 seconds remaining, he came through again, drilling a 24-yard field goal to send the 49ers into halftime with a 14-6 lead.
While the 49ers offense continued to shine, the defense was equally dominant. Miami entered the fourth quarter with just six points as San Francisco’s defense continued to keep the Dolphins’ offense in check. The 49ers recorded 4.0 sacks of Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis, marking the unit’s most sacks in a single game since the 2024 season, when San Francisco registered 7.0 sacks against Chicago on December 8, 2024.
Fred Warner led the way, finishing with five tackles, 0.5 sack and one forced fumble. His forced fumble marked his second of the season and the 19th of his career. After recording a forced fumble last week at the Rams on September 10, Warner has now registered at least one forced fumble in consecutive games for the second time in his career. With his 0.5 sack against Miami, Warner now has 10.5 sacks in his career.
The rookies made their presence felt as well. Cornerback Upton Stout recorded five tackles and one pass defensed while splitting a sack of Willis with Warner. The 0.5 sack gives Stout 1.5 sacks in his career. Defensive lineman Romello Height tallied one tackle and recorded the first sack of his career, bringing down Willis for a 1.0 sack on the day. Safety Marques Sigle also recorded six tackles and the first sack of his career, taking down Willis for a 1.0 sack. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown added a strong performance of his own, recording a career-high 12 tackles as the 49ers defense continued to control the game.
“I like the fight, right? Obviously never lacking in effort and tenacity, Warner said. “Things definitely could have been cleaner from an execution standpoint all across the board, especially getting off on 3rd-down in the first half. Second half was a lot better, but I’m happy with the fact that we were able to keep them out of the endzone, especially on those longer drives and holding them to three.”
“Yeah, when you walk in, and [LB] Fred [Warner] is your leader and [DL] Nick Bosa is your leader, you kind of fall in line, right? Fred is the leader that’s like your dad,” said Trent Williams. “He’s going to look at you disappointed if there’s an MA (missed assignment). He holds all those guys accountable, and he’s holding himself accountable in front of them. I think having those guys makes it really easy for those rookies to continue to develop and be the players that we want in this culture.”
Photo by 49ers/Twitter
