Let me say this first before the comments section of this article fills with incessant “Yes but.”

No, the San Francisco 49ers have no wins this season. No, the Dolphins did not beat a playoff opponent in Week 16. No, Miami’s 29-17 win over the team of Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel didn’t destroy the narrative.

But it sure feels good to get a win!

With the Miami Dolphins’ victory on Sunday thanks to a full team effort in all three phases of the game (5 for 5 on field goal attempts by Jason Sanders), the team maintains its razor-thin playoff chances. Now all they have to do is win their final two games of the regular season, plus two more losses to the Denver Broncos and one loss each to the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers.

Are the Dolphins likely to make the postseason? Not really. But we’ll worry about that next Sunday. For now, let’s enjoy this win as we look back at the good, bad and ugly of Miami’s 12-point victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

GOOD

The Dolphins’ ground game drives them to victory

It’s been a while since the Miami Dolphins dominated a ground game like they did against the 49ers on Sunday. In fact, the team hadn’t rushed for more than 100 yards since rushing for 149 yards in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills. Their biggest score on the ground since that game was an 82-yard performance against the Raiders in Week 11, with a low of 39 yards on the ground against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.

Against the 49ers, the Dolphins rushed for a total of 166 yards on 30 carries – good for an average of 5.5 yards per carry.

De’Von Achane led the way with 17 carries for 120 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and a game-winning rushing score. Raheem Mostert managed 8 carries for 31 yards. Jeff Wilson saw two carries and gained 12 yards on those attempts.

When guard Isaiah Wynn was finally reinserted into the lineup, the Dolphins remembered how to punish an opponent on the ground — primarily using the tyrannical crack-toss approach to do damage.

Let’s hope their success on the ground continues into the team’s final two regular season contests.

BAD

Tyreek Hill continues his frustrating season

Tyreek Hill found the end zone on Sunday – grabbing a short 3-yard touchdown reception off a quick throw from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the second quarter against the 49ers.

However, the rest of his afternoon/evening was nothing special.

Hill had a few nasty drops again in this one – a continuation of his discouraging trend of going small in big moments. Two of his drops would have been long touchdowns – one in the first quarter and one in the third, but even though Tagovailoa’s passes hit the receiver with both hands, Hill couldn’t reach the score.

Hill only caught three of his seven targets on the day, totaling just 29 yards through the air.

The receiver spoke about his poor performance after the game:

The man nicknamed “The cheetah“The Dolphins were paid an extraordinary amount of money to have a painfully normal season, and some are beginning to question whether it will be time to move on from the soon-to-be 31-year-old this coming offseason.

UGLY

Dolphins lose starting cornerback Kendall Fuller to a knee injury

The Miami Dolphins’ risk of injury continues in 2024 – this time it’s targeting the knee of starting cornerback Kendall Fuller.

Fuller left Sunday’s contest in the second half and was unable to return.

Miami’s soon-to-be 30-year-old starting cornerback has been hit multiple times this season, including multiple absences due to concussions in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks and another against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10 – the latter of which cost Fuller three weeks of playing time .

The Dolphins will once again turn to undrafted rookie defensive lineman Storm Duck to fill Fuller’s spot if the cornerback is unable to play against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17.

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The Dolphins got a much-needed win on Sunday by defeating the San Francisco 49ers 29-17. Their playoff hopes are still alive, but they will need some help to get to the postseason. Do you think they can do their part by winning the next two games against the Browns and the…? New York Jets on the street? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter at @MBrave13. Fins up!