That the 49ers are massive favorites over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 will be absolutely no surprise to anybody. San Francisco is coming off a huge win over the Super Bowl favorites, while the Dolphins are likely to be in the conversation for the first overall pick and were beaten comfortably by the Las Vegas Raiders in their opener.
Still, given the 49ers have the added issue of recovering from their travel back from Australia, it’s not too much of a stretch to consider this a potential ‘trap game’ for the 49ers.
But Kyle Shanahan and his staff are unlikely to feel the need to remind the team about taking the matchup seriously and, if the 49ers perform at anywhere close to the levels they produced in Melbourne, then the meeting with the Dolphins should offer a significant opportunity for them to have more success in what was a surprising area of strength in Week 1.
Despite the concerns about the 49ers’ defensive line depth going into the season, the San Francisco pass rush impressed in the 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams, albeit without recording a sack of Matthew Stafford.
Indeed, the 49ers racked up a 41 percent pressure rate against the Rams, with that number better than any single-game pressure rate they managed throughout 2025.
And, going against the Dolphins’ offensive line, the 49ers’ defensive front has a clear opportunity to build on that performance and register some sacks, even in a game in which they will be going against a mobile quarterback in Malik Willis.
Miami’s offensive line endured an extremely difficult Week 1 in the Dolphins’ loss to the Raiders, surrendering five sacks, with Willis pressured 17 times in a difficult debut for the former Green Bay Packers quarterback.
While Maxx Crosby did the bulk of the damage with two sacks, all three of the Raiders top edge rushers were able to get impressive push against Miami, Crosby (3.58), Kwity Paye (3.84) and Malcolm Koonce (3.9) all had average separation from the quarterback on pass rushing plays that was well under the league average of 4.58 yards, per NextGen Stats.
In other words, the Raiders’ top outside pass rushers each had consistent success shrinking the pocket for Willis, with their performances likely to offer encouragement to Niners defensive end Nick Bosa and the rest of a defensive line that produced an encouraging Week 1 showing.
With doubts surrounding the depth on the interior and on the edge, the 49ers entered this season with plenty of concern externally about their defensive line. One game against the Rams will not allay those doubts and a strong performance versus Miami in Week 2 will not do so either. However, if the 49ers’ front can shake off the effects of their travel and take advantage of a very favorable matchup, it could be a confidence-boosting step towards this group exceeding expectations.
