Sunday will provide the Miami Dolphins with a lot of challenges. The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most experienced teams in the NFL. 12 players have been to the Pro Bowl at least once, and combined, they have 54 total Pro Bowl nominations.
Pro Bowls don't mean much in terms of how a game will turn out, but it's a stark contrast to the Dolphins roster, which is full of youth and inexperience. Of the 53 players on the Dolphins roster, De'Von Achane is the only player to have made the Pro Bowl without being named an alternate.
The challenge the Dolphins face this week is real on both sides of the ball. The 49ers are going to test the players in all three phases of the game. Even the coaching staff will face their own set of challenges. That being said, these five issues must be cleaned up by Sunday if they want to upset San Fran in their home stadium.
The Miami Dolphins have to be perfect, but the bigger impact won't be on the scoreboard
Every NFL fan knows that on "any given Sunday" unexpected things can happen. That means that, yes, the 49ers could get beat. If they are to drop a game to Miami, the Dolphins have to clean up these five mistakes they made last week, or the 49ers will pick them apart.
Brock Purdy has to feel pressure
Miami wasn't able to generate consistent pressure on Kirk Cousins, and he was able to pick them apart as a result. The Raiders WRs are not in the same discussion as the 49ers unit. Purday can't have time in the pocket. If Miami can't get pressure on him within the first two seconds of a play, the WRs will find the seams in the Dolphins' defense, and it will get out of hand quickly.
Purdy handles pressure well, but like all QBs under constant pressure, he will make mistakes. Making this challenge more difficult, the Dolphins will not have Chop Robinson on the field. Without him, Miami will rely on guys like Robert Beal Jr., Malik Herring, and Josh Uche, but Clelin Ferrell will also most likely be activated again to the 53.
Pressure can't just come from the edge. Sean Duggan and Jeff Hafley must find a way to mask blitz packages with their safeties, but the real key will come from the defensive line, which must find a way to push the 49ers' line backward. Last week, they were consistently driven back by the Raiders' offensive line.
Pre-snap penalties can't happen
This may be the biggest problem the Dolphins will face, whether it's on the offensive line or on the defensive line. Getting off the snap quickly could make a difference in a play's success rate. The offensive line struggled with penalties last week. They can't this week. Aaron Brewer was called for two early holds in the game; that can't happen either.
For the Dolphins to stay with San Francisco or put themselves in a position to possibly upset them, every player has to maintain their assignments and play flawlessly when it comes to technique to avoid those penalties, and they can't afford dead-ball penalties like the one JuJu Brents took against the Raiders.
The Dolphins will be able to move the ball, but finding themselves in a third-and-short situation only to be pushed back five or ten yards will make it impossible to succeed.
De'Von Achane has to get more than 15 touches
Achane can handle the hits, but keeping him out of the game provides the 49ers with an easier task defensively. Miami has to take some losses, but if that means getting the ball in Achane's hands, Bobby Slowik has to push through it.
Slowik told the media on Friday that part of the problem in Week 1 was the fact that they were down by two scores. He admitted that things got away from them in the 4th quarter, but Achane is just as deadly in the passing game as a receiver. If the 49ers swallow Miami's rushing attack, it's Slowik's job to create other opportunities for Achane. Miami won't have a chance to win if he is not a big part of the game plan.
The offensive line has to play better
Patrick Paul and Kadyn Proctor played well in Week 1, but Jonah Savaiinaea struggled again, and Austin Jackson was a liability on the outside. The 49ers are better in the trenches than the Raiders, making this task harder.
Much like Hafley said about his edge rushers playing more "violently," that is how the offensive line must play as well. They must fire off the ball, maintain their leverage, and keep Malik Willis clean while also giving their running game enough space to make positive yards.
It won't just be the trench work either. The interior guard assignments will be designed to make contact with the linebacker unit. A unit that features Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner, one of the best LBs in the league. If the offensive line struggles, the rest of the offensive game plan will as well.
Malik Willis needs to get rid of the ball
Willis didn't play horribly in Week 1, but his biggest issue was taking sacks. He has said he must be better than that. When speaking with the media this week, he was asked about having a "sense" of pressure, or a "countdown clock" in his head. He said there is nothing like that. Maybe there should be.
Willis took five sacks last week. Not all of them were his fault, but there is never an excuse for taking a sack outside of the pocket. This is where he must improve against the 49ers. That doesn't mean forcing the ball into coverage to avoid the takedown.
For Willis, he has to be ready to throw the ball away, lose the play and not the yardage, and come back on the next play or series and work it again. If he can keep from making those mistakes, the Dolphins won't face long down-and-distance situations.
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