The San Francisco 49ers entered their Week 2 matchup with the Miami Dolphins following their overseas win season opener in Melbourne, Australia, defeating the Los Angeles Rams.
The Niners were back at their home site, Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, and they capitalized on the team's hot start to the 2026 season.
The 49ers dismantled the Dolphins in a blowout win, 35-13, behind a nearly perfect Brock Purdy, who completed 20-of-22 passes for 287 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a 149.1 passer rating.
"I think everyone felt great towards the middle of the week-ish. And so yeah, it all worked out great. But coming into this game (against the) Dolphins, their whole story and stuff... It's the NFL. You never know. Like anything can
happen on Sundays," Purdy told reporters. "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 was the that's what we were saying all week, and I thought we went out there and did that today."
San Francisco's running game wasn't as impactful on the ground but still effective. Purdy led the team with 30 yards. Christian McCaffrey only had 23 yards on 10 carries, but still scored twice at the goal line, including his 100th career touchdown. Tight end George Kittle looked like his former self before the Achilles injury with four catches, 80 yards and a touchdown score.
Defensively, they were versatile and caused problems everywhere on the field. They didn't force any turnovers but stifled the Miami offense all game long.
They opened the season with a dominant win against Rams, 27-7, and there were many things to take away from the game, like how receiver Mike Evans is a natural fit in the Bay Area, and the reunion of Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Nick Bosa has more impact than some thought.
Despite suffering injuries to De'Zhaun Stribling and Jake Tonges, San Francisco went into Week 2 with confidence in their overall depth. The injuries didn't stop there, they continued to pile on although most were not severe. Evans was one of those injured suffering a hip injury, however head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters it was not a significant injury.
The Dolphins are an inexperienced team that is still searching for an identity. Miami suffered back-to-back losses coming off of a Week 1 loss, 27-13, to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Niners have been able to take care of business and avoided being caught in a trap game by overlooking Miami.
USA TODAY Sports provided coverage of the game including updates, play-by-play, scores, analysis and highlights:
49ers vs. Dolphins highlights
Final: 49ers 35, Dolphins 13
07:25 PM ET, September 20 2026, Marcus D. SmithWith the game out of reach by the fourth quarter, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan pulled his starters for the game as San Francisco cruised to a 2-0 start in the 2026 season.
Miami managed to put up their only touchdown score of the game in the fourth quarter when Malik Willis found wide receiver Ryan Miller for his only reception of the game, a catch-and-run he turned into a 77-yard score with 2:30 left in the game.
Not going to penalize the third- and fourth-string guys that allowed the only touchdown of the game. The Niners didn't score in the fourth but Mac Jones relieved Purdy to effectively put the game away with forward progress, moving the chains when needed.
Final Grade: A
3Q: 49ers 35, Dolphins 6
06:39 PM ET, September 20 2026, Marcus D. SmithThe San Francisco 49ers have shut down the Dolphins offense, completely taking away their options and keying in on De'Von Achane. He's been held to 71 yards on 18 carries. He's averaging 3.9 yards per carry. The Niners defense is flying everywhere. They have closed in on Miami whenever they made a reception or got loose past the line of scrimmage. They shut out in the third period.
Brock Purdy has looked nearly perfect in the game with just one incompletion. He found George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk for scores. Christian McCaffrey added another rushing touchdown in the game. The Niners offensive line has been the dominant ones all game long.
Even special teams has been making noise whether its forcing stops or creating good field position on returns.
3rd Quarter Grade: A+
George Kittle scores first TD since injury
06:22 PM ET, September 20 2026, Marcus D. SmithGeorge Kittle scored his first touchdown since returning from his Achilles injury. At the 13:08 mark of the third quarter, Purdy launched a 12-yard strike to Kittle who reeled in the catch for his first touchdown of the season.
Half: 49ers 14, Dolphins 6
05:51 PM ET, September 20 2026, Marcus D. SmithMiami connected on two field goals to give themselves points on the board. Riley Patterson hit his first field goal which came early in the second quarter under 10 minutes left. He connected on his third attempt to end the half, making it a one possession game.
The 49ers haven't been able to get a big break from their run game but it has been effective. After scrambling around extending the play, Brock Purdy scored a two-yard rush touchdown with 5:24 left in the game.
The 49er defense could use some improvement going into the second half on a count of that Miami has had three drives and held on to the ball for 19:17. The Dolphins have ran 28 of their 35 plays in San Francisco territory. However, it's only resulted in six points.
That's a win for the defense, but in the second half expect the Dolphins to get more confident in what their offense has been able to do. Miami has not punted in the ballgame.
1st Half Grade: B
Demarcus Robinson injured
05:41 PM ET, September 20 2026, Marcus D. SmithThe San Francisco 49ers suffer another blow at the wideout position. This time, it's Demarcus Robinson who went down in the second quarter after making a 20-yard reception.
He appeared to suffer an apparent lower leg injury after coming up hobbling. He was helped off the field by team personnel. The team announced he is questionable to return to the contest.
1Q: 49ers 7, Dolphins 0
05:36 PM ET, September 20 2026, Marcus D. SmithThe San Francisco 49ers lead 7-0 after the first quarter. Running back Christian McCaffrey scored the first touchdown of the game after the 49ers went 59 yards on 12 plays in 6:11. McCaffrey ended the drive with a 1-yard rush into the endzone.
Fred Warner even punched the ball out from Dolphins' fullback DJ Herman, a patented move of his, to force another fumble. The ball sailed out of bounds and Miami retained possession. On both sides of the ball it was all San Francisco.
1st Quarter Grade: A
5 keys for a 49er win
05:36 PM ET, September 20 2026, Marcus D. SmithThe San Francisco 49ers welcome the Miami Dolphins and to pull out a win, they will need to replicate their performance in Australia.
There arefive major keys for the 49ers to wind up going 2-0. Here's what the Niners need in their game versus Miami:
- A perfect Brock Purdy: Purdy's performance will dictate the outcome of this game. He is the calm, the relief for San Francisco.
- Strong performance from O-line: The combination of Trent Williams, Connor Colby, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni and Colton McKivitz did not allow any sacks of Purdy against LA in Australia. Can they do it against Miami?
- Christian McCaffrey-Kaelon Black tandem: McCaffrey is the guy, but the rookie, Black can be a surprise for many. If he keeps CMC fresh then San Francisco is all the more scary.
- Weapons galore: Despite injuries, Purdy has a plethora of weapons including Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr., George Kittle, Demarcus Robinson and McCaffrey.
- Defense vs Achane: De'Von Achane will be a handful, but the 49ers defense can handle it.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 49ers dominate Dolphins in home opener: Winners and losers
