Miscues and missed opportunities doom 49ers in 29-17 loss to Dolphins

Too many penalties, a missed chance in the red zone, a missed field goal, and a costly interception... the San Francisco 49ers have seen these storylines play out too many times in 2024, and they were on display once again on Sunday as they fell 29-17 to the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

On a day when they were officially eliminated from playoff contention based on results in other games, the 49ers also clinched a losing record on the season in a game where they committed 11 penalties and gave up 382 total yards. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 313 yards on 26-of-40 passing with two touchdowns and one interception, while Tua Tagovailoa completed 22-of-34 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown for the Dolphins. Running back De'Von Achane chipped in 191 total yards for the Dolphins (121 rushing, 70 receiving), while wide receiver Deebo Samuel caught seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown with five carries for 25 yards for the 49ers.

First Half

The 49ers opened the game with a three-and-out, electing to punt on fourth down instead of challenging a third-and-short ruling where running back Patrick Taylor was ruled short of a first down even though he appeared on replay to have crossed the line to gain. The Dolphins took over at their 10-yard line, then punted back to the 49ers after five plays to give the 49ers possession at their 28-yard line. The 49ers moved across midfield on an 11-yard completion to wide receiver Jauan Jennings and runs by Taylor and Deebo Samuel, but they moved back to their own 26-yard line after a holding penalty on guard Aaron Banks, a false start penalty on tight end George Kittle, and a second-down sack for a six-yard loss. The punting team came out two plays later to send the ball back to the Dolphins.

The Dolphins put together an eight-play, 44-yard drive on their next possession that ended with a 44-yard field goal from kicker Jason Sanders to give them a 3-0 lead. But they came inches away from scoring the game's first touchdown, as on a 3rd-and-9 from the 49ers' 26-yard line, a pass from Tagovailoa bounced off the hands of wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the end zone. 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was able to get his fingertips on the ball just before Hill missed his opportunity to make the catch.

On the next possession, the Deebo Samuel of yesteryear showed up for the 49ers and helped spark a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended with the first touchdown of the game. Samuel, whose struggles throughout the 2024 season included a crucial dropped pass in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the previous game, converted a 3rd-and-10 with a 17-yard catch earlier in the drive before finishing things off with a 16-yard touchdown catch that saw him break tackles before plowing into the end zone to give the 49ers a 7-6 lead.

The Dolphins answered with a field goal to cut the lead to 7-6, then after holding the 49ers to a three-and-out, they put together an eight-play, 88-yard drive to take a 13-7 lead on a touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to Hill. Former 49ers running back Raheem Mostert chipped in a 20-yard run and 14-yard reception earlier in the drive, then on a 3rd-and-Goal from the 3-yard line, Hill cashed in this opportunity to put the Dolphins on top with 3:20 remaining in the second half.

Purdy moved the 49ers downfield quickly on the next drive, which saw him open with a 24-yard completion to George Kittle, followed by four consecutive completions to set up a 1st-and-Goal from the 7-yard line. The drive stalled from there, forcing the 49ers to settle for a 21-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody to cut the lead to 13-10 with 47 seconds remaining. The Dolphins fell short of getting into scoring range on the final possession of the half, leading to them taking a three-point lead into the break.

The Dolphins finished the half with 200 total yards to 161 for the 49ers. Purdy completed 11-of-18 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown in the first half, while Tagovailoa finished with 141 yards and one touchdown on 13-of-20 passing.

Second Half

The third quarter opened with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga, which moved the Dolphins close to midfield on the first play of the half. The Dolphins later faced a 3rd-and-4 from the 49ers' 34-yard line but moved backward when a holding penalty was called on center Aaron Brewer. The drive ended with a 54-yard field goal from Sanders to open up a 16-10 lead.

The 49ers were bit by penalties on the next drive, particularly on an illegal formation called on wide receiver Ricky Pearsall that negated a 16-yard gain from Samuel on a 3rd-and-8 play from the Dolphins' 18-yard line. The 49ers instead wound up settling for a 41-yard field goal attempt from Moody, which sailed wide left to leave the score at 16-10 with just under six minutes left in the third quarter.

Another field goal drive followed for the Dolphins, this one spanning 53 yards on nine plays. A 12-yard run from Achane and a 22-yard catch from tight end Jonnu Smith were the highlights of the drive, then as was the case in the first quarter, a third-down pass into the end zone intended for Hill fell short and forced the Dolphins to bring Sanders out for a field goal, this one from 33 yards to take a 19-10 lead.

The 49ers responded with their second touchdown drive of the game -- a nine-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to tight end Eric Saubert to cut the lead to 19-17. Samuel led the way with two catches for 20 yards and one run for nine yards, then after an 11-yard catch from Kittle on a 3rd-and-1 put the ball at the 3-yard line, Saubert hauled in his first touchdown catch of the season two plays later to trim the deficit to two with 12 minutes remaining.

The teams exchanged punts after the touchdown, then the Dolphins took over at their own 28-yard line with 6:37 left to play. An unnecessary roughness penalty on Lenoir helped move the ball across midfield after one play, then the Dolphins drove to the 30-yard line before Sanders added his fifth field goal of the game, this one from 48 yards to extend the lead to 22-17 with just over two minutes remaining.

The 49ers took over at their own 30-yard line and got things off to a good start with a 17-yard completion to Jauan Jennings. But that's as far as things got, as on the next play, Purdy was intercepted by cornerback Kader Kohou to give the Dolphins a first down at their own 38-yard line.

Not long after that, the Dolphins sealed the deal with an extra touchdown instead of running out the clock. With 1:44 remaining in the game, Achane took a handoff at midfield and went the distance, giving the Dolphins a 29-17 lead.

The 49ers moved to the Dolphins' 18-yard line on their final possession before turning the ball over on downs. The Dolphins moved to 7-8 on the season with the win and remained in playoff contention, while the 49ers fell to 6-9 with the loss.

Game Notes: The Dolphins moved to 9-7 all-time against the 49ers with the win... The 49ers were 1.5-point favorites coming into Sunday's game... 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw (calf) and guard Aaron Banks (knee) were among those to leave the game due to injury... The previous meeting between the Dolphins and 49ers marked the beginning of the Brock Purdy era in San Francisco -- a 33-17 49ers win during which Purdy came off the bench for injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo and threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns... Next up for the 49ers will be their final home game of the season as the Detroit Lions (13-2) come to Levi's Stadium on Monday, December 30 (8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT, ABC/ESPN) for a rematch of the 2024 NFC Championship game. The 49ers won that game in comeback fashion, rallying for a 34-31 win after trailing 24-7 at the half.