Fins win but lose key starters, right guard rotation and broken records

The Miami Dolphins lost a significant contributor during their 29-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Cornerback Kendall Fuller went down with what appeared to be a knee injury early in the fourth quarter. An ACL test was administered on Fuller and he was quickly deemed questionable, according to the Dolphins. A short time later, Fuller was downgraded to out.

This couldn’t have come at a worst time for the nine-year veteran. Fuller has already missed four games at various points during the 2024 season with a pair of concussions. He was just two games into his return from injury before the latest ailment.

With Fuller out, the Dolphins’ options at cornerback are relatively thin. The most likely candidates to replace Fuller include seven-year veteran Siran Neal and rookie Storm Duck.

Another big injury:

Dolphins leading tackler Jordyn Brooks also went down in the fourth quarter with a knee and quad injury.

While the Dolphins ruled Brooks as questionable, he never returned to the game. Coach Mike McDaniel said the starting inside linebacker “got hit pretty hard in the lower half” and that he’ll have more information tomorrow.

“It wasn’t like a joint or a knee or an ankle so we’ll see how long that takes,” McDaniel added.

Tagovailoa climbs higher in the record books:

With Tyreek Hill’s 3-yard score late in the third quarter, the franchise quarterback became just the fourth player in Dolphins history to record 100 career touchdown passes.

Tagovailoa joined Dan Marino, Bob Griese and Ryan Tannehill as the only quarterbacks to reach that mark. Of the four, Tagovailoa has the highest completion percentage.

Right guard rotation

Although Isaiah Wynn drew the start, he and Liam Eichenberg rotated back-and-forth the entire game.

This comes after Eichenberg’s disastrous performance against the Houston Texans in which the guard recorded his lowest Pro Football Focus grade of the season. Not only did he allow six total quarterback pressures and hurries, he also drew two penalties.

As a result, the Dolphins decided to start Wynn who spent most of 2024 recovering from a knee injury that he suffered during the 2023 season. Eichenberg rotated in every two series, according to McDaniel.

“It was really good to get Isaiah in,” McDaniel said, later adding that he thought “we’d render better results in the run and pass game” due to the Niners’ penchant for defensive line changes.

Added McDaniel: “Zero sacks. Had some good rushing numbers. And controlled the line of scrimmage the way we wanted to. I thought both did a good job.”

In the locker room after the win, Eichenberg appeared to be in good spirits and revealed that the switch had been communicated to him earlier in the week.

“Whatever’s best for the team I’m willing to do,” Eichenburg said.

A record-breaking performance:

Jonnu Smith set the franchise record for most receiving yards and receptions by a tight end.

Both records were achieved on the same drive in the third quarter. A 22-yard catch-and-run gave him the reception record around the 3:20 mark in the third. Two plays later, he caught a 9-yard pass to give him the receiving record.

Randy McMichael set both records during the 2004 season.

With 802 yards receiving and 76 receptions, expect Smith to significantly add to his own record.

THIS & THAT

▪ With a tackle in the first quarter, defensive tackle Calais Campbell reached 900 for his career.

▪ Defensive tackle Zach Sieler reached 300 tackles for his career in the first quarter. He also recorded a sack on the opening play of the second quarter to bring his season total to 8.5, the second most among all defensive tackles behind only Dexter Lawrence who has nine.

▪ Receiver Tyreek Hill became the 43rd player in NFL history with at least 11,000 yards receiving. He joined Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans, Travis Kelce, Davante Adams and Keenan Allen as the seventh active player to reach such a mark.

▪ With an extra point in the second quarter, kicker Jason Sanders joined Olindo Mare and Garo Yepremian as the third player in Dolphins history to reach 800 points. He also reached the mark in 114 games, the fastest player to do so.