The San Francisco 49ers return to Levi’s Stadium for the first time this season when they take on the Miami Dolphins at home in Week 2. They’re a massive 13.5-point favorite following their 27-7 thrashing of the Los Angeles Rams this week, with their opponent being one of the worst teams on paper in the NFL.
Still, as we’ve seen in recent years, anything can happen in the NFL, and the 49ers will need to take care of business on Sunday.
Here are three keys to a 49ers win over the Dolphins in Week 2.
Win first downs
The 49ers have struggled at times with rushing quarterbacks over the past few years, but I thought they stepped up defensively there in 2025 under Robert Saleh. Now, they get Malik Willis, who has been one of the more dynamic rushing threats at quarterback when on the field.
Willis only had six carries for 39 yards and a touchdown last weekend, and I think that figure will increase here in Week 2. But the Dolphins quarterback is still quite raw through the air, and the Dolphins averaged under six yards per pass against the Las Vegas Raiders defense last weekend. They also couldn’t get much going on the ground, with Devon Achane limited to 36 yards on 11 carries.
The formula is simple for the 49ers: continue what they were doing last win and win on first downs. That’ll force the Dolphins into more passing situations and create tougher third-down situations, where they really struggled in Week 1, converting just two of 10 opportunities.
This is a prime situation to dominate the time of possession and really impose their will, and the Raiders did just that, having the ball for 34:53 last week against the Dolphins.
San Francisco will need to contain well and collapse against the run, forcing Miami into more pass-heavy situations on later downs, where the 49ers have the advantage.
Keep churning on the ground
Kyle Shanahan’s offense has become more pass-friendly in recent years with Brock Purdy at the helm, but a strong run game is still the focus of the offense.
Last week, the 49ers had both Kaelon Black and Christian McCaffrey find great success, as the duo rushed for 133 yards on over 5.5 yards per carry. I think they’re going to see more than 24 carries combined in this game, and Jordan James could even be featured as that number goes up to around 40.
The Raiders ran the ball 34 times last week before three kneels at the end of the game, with Ashton Jeanty eclipsing 100 yards on 23 carries. The 49ers have a better offensive line and should look to impose their physicality at the line of scrimmage and win this game on the ground.
That should add to the formula of winning on first downs and eating up more of the clock with sustained drives.
Tackle, tackle, tackle
The 49ers are the clear favorites on paper. That’s apparent. But there are factors that could certainly make a game like this become much closer than expected.
A key factor? Tackling.
The Niners were very sound in Week 1, missing just four tackles while recording 19 stops as they swarmed to the ball and didn’t allow many extra yards. But while the Dolphins have a ton of unproven skill position players, they have a few shifty guys, including both Malik Willis and De’Von Achane.
They forced the Raiders to miss 10 tackles last weekend, and Achane has generally been excellent at breaking tackles, averaging 3.0 yards after contact per attempt last season.
If the Niners wrap up, that coincides with the first key of forcing tough third-down conversions. But against a young, feisty team like the Dolphins that want to live on the ground, if they struggle to wrap up, drives extend, and this one turns into more of a slugfest than expected.
