The Miami Dolphins were defeated quite soundly by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and 49ers linebacker Fred Warner may have shed some light on why.
Warner said in an interview that going up against the Dolphins offense felt a lot like going up against his own team’s offensive group.
“Yes, most definitely,” Warner said when Rich Eisen asked if it felt like he was going up against his own team. “Obviously, Mike [McDaniel] was a huge part of what we did offensively when he was here. He brought in guys that were familiar with the system. They have their own fullback that they use in all types of ways in the backfield and all the different personnel sets and all the jet motion to try to get your eyes moving in different directions. So, it was very similar to playing against our offense.”
The Dolphins offense has been electric for much of the season with Tua Tagovailoa under center, but it struggled mightily on Sunday against Warner and the stout San Francisco defensive unit.
Tagovailoa had arguably his worst performance of the season on Sunday. Though he finished with 295 yards and two touchdowns through the air, he also threw two picks and had a 54.5 percent completion percentage.
It was certainly a disappointing loss for a Dolphins team that has looked like a real contender throughout the 2022 NFL season.
The good news is that the Dolphins will have the chance to play against a defense that is far less familiar with their offensive schemes this weekend. The Dolphins will take on a talented Los Angeles Chargers game in what is sure to be an exciting Sunday Night Football clash.
The Chargers are currently fighting for their playoff lives at 6-6 on the season. They sit at the No. 9 seed in the AFC behind the New England Patriots. As for the Dolphins, they have a bit of wiggle room when it comes to their playoff standing and still have their sights set on an AFC East division title.
If the Dolphins can get a win over the Chargers, it will set things up very nicely for a Week 15 clash against the supercharged Buffalo Bills. The Bills are first in the AFC East and the conference at the moment, but they are holding onto those leads by very slim margins.
All in all, the Dolphins seem to be moving past last weekend’s loss productively. Tagovailoa himself has already indicated that they’ve mentally moved on to the games ahead of them.
Tua on the loss: "Don't think that we're taking this lightly. … Great opportunity for us that we'll use and take coming into the L.A. game next week."
— Dolphin Nation (@Dolphin_Nation) December 5, 2022
With a win on Sunday night, the Dolphins would move to 9-4 on the season. That would match the total number of wins that they earned last season.
