The 49ers didn’t spend much time letting anyone wonder about jet lag or any carryover from Australia. Back at Levi’s Stadium for their 2026 home opener, San Francisco came out sharp, stayed in control, and rolled past the Dolphins 35-13 on Sunday afternoon.
It was the kind of complete performance that starts early and never really loosens its grip. The 49ers scored on five of their first six offensive possessions, built a 14-6 halftime lead, then blew the game open in the third quarter with three touchdowns in a row. By the time the fourth quarter settled in, the outcome was already long decided.
Christian McCaffrey got the party started on the opening drive, finishing a crisp possession with the game’s first touchdown and putting San Francisco ahead 7-0 after the first quarter. Miami managed a 28-yard field goal to open the second quarter, but Brock Purdy answered with a 2-yard scramble to the end zone with 5:24 left in the half to push the lead to 14-3.
The first half wasn’t spotless. Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson left with an injury, but the defense kept Miami from turning that into momentum. Right before halftime, San Francisco’s front held firm on the goal line, forcing the Dolphins to settle for a 24-yard field goal and sending the teams to the locker room with the 49ers up 14-6.
Then came the third quarter, which turned into a showcase.
Purdy hit George Kittle for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, giving Kittle his first score since returning from his Achilles tear. On the next possession, fullback Kyle Juszczyk muscled into the end zone, making it four touchdowns on four offensive possessions for San Francisco.
Miami then handed the 49ers another gift when its punter dropped a snap and fell on the ball. With the short field, Purdy quickly connected with Mike Evans on a 27-yard throw down to the 1-yard line, and McCaffrey finished the job with his second rushing touchdown of the day. That score made McCaffrey the fourth fastest player in the modern NFL era to reach 100 career touchdowns.
The touchdown run finally stopped on San Francisco’s sixth possession with 10:38 left in the fourth quarter, but the margin was already too large for Miami to do anything about.
There were other bright spots mixed in as well. Rookie Jacob Cowing had a strong special teams return wiped out by a holding penalty, and defensive lineman Gracen Halton spent the day creating problems in Miami’s backfield.
With 6:21 left and the 49ers leading 35-6, Kyle Shanahan pulled his starters and turned the rest of the game over to backup quarterback Mac Jones to help close it out.
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The bigger issue now is less about whether Bosa is back and more about what his presence does to everything around him. San Franciscos defense finished with four sacks and tightened against the run in the second half, which is the sort of complementary performance that can change the feel of a game fast. With Bosa reinserted into the front, the 49ers have to figure out just how disruptive this group can become once it settles in. [Read more 🡒]