The 49ers are walking into Sunday’s matchup with the kind of confidence that usually comes with a big opening statement, and plenty of analysts are treating the Dolphins like the next team to get run over.
San Francisco is heavily favored after its Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams, and USA TODAY NFL writers were quick to lean into the idea that this one could get ugly. Adam Kaufman picked the 49ers to win 31-13, and he didn’t exactly hide where he thought the game would be decided.
"If the 49ers are as good as they looked in Australia and the Dolphins are as bad as, well, they are, this could be a bloodbath. The Raiders had no trouble getting to Malik Willis, sacking him five times and generating 17 pressures, so Nick Bosa must be licking his chops.
San Francisco is feeling itself after handling Los Angeles Down Under and has enjoyed extra time to rest, reset its body clock and prepare for this one. Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black should pick up where they left off after helping the 49ers rush for 174 yards at 5.8 per carry.
Meanwhile, Brock Purdy has every opportunity to exploit Miami's inexperienced secondary with Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. This shouldn't be close."
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz came to a similar conclusion, forecasting a 34-17 San Francisco win.
"Oof. Whatever the line ends up as here still might not be great enough to reflect the disparity between these two teams.
Kyle Shanahan's offense can be maddening for even the most experienced defenders to try to keep contained. Expect the learning curve to be steep for the Dolphins and a group dotted with first- and second-year starters.
Even if Malik Willis and De'Von Achane can provide some sporadic sparks, Miami will have a tough time relying on its unproven receiving corps to keep drives going."
Of course, being heavily favored has already proven meaningless around the league. The Los Angeles Chargers were supposed to roll past the Arizona Cardinals before Arizona stunned them.
That’s the cautionary note hanging over this game. The 49ers are expected to take care of business, but they still have to do it.
They’re also dealing with the challenge of bouncing back from an overseas trip and keeping the same sharp level they showed against the Rams in Australia. On top of that, they’ll be doing it shorthanded, without a handful of players they expected to have to start the season.
Even with those hurdles, the path is clear for San Francisco: seize the opportunity and turn a favorable spot into a convincing win over Miami.
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