The Miami Dolphins' second-half unraveling against the San Francisco 49ers was perhaps best illustrated by a special teams blunder from punter Bradley Pinion.
Trailing 28-6 midway through the third quarter, Pinion mishandled a perfectly clean snap and was forced to fall on the ball at the Miami 28-yard line, turning possession over on downs.
The mistake only added to a disastrous stretch for Miami. Two plays later, Christian McCaffrey scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the 49ers touchdowns on each of their first five offensive possessions.
The collapse came after an encouraging start for the Dolphins. Despite outgaining San Francisco 165-125 in the first half and controlling possession for 19:17, Miami settled for field goals and trailed
14-6 at halftime.
Any momentum the Dolphins built before the break quickly disappeared in the third quarter, continuing a troubling trend of second-half struggles that has followed the franchise since last season.
The Dolphins punter, Bradley Pinion, just dropped the ball and was tackled at his 28-yard line
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) September 20, 2026
He just dropped it
That was a bad one
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins special teams blunder caps second-half collapse vs. 49ers
