MIAMI - Quarterback Malik Willis connected with wide receiver Ryan Miller on a 77-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of Miami’s Week 2 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the longest completion by a Dolphins quarterback since Tua Tagovailoa’s 80-yard scoring strike to Tyreek Hill in Week 1 of the 2024 season against Jacksonville.
Willis finished 14-of-23 for 197 yards and posted a passer rating of 103.0, his fourth career start with a rating of 100.0 or better in eight career starts. The touchdown was the first for both Willis and Miller as Dolphins.
Rookie inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez continued his strong start, recording eight tackles against the 49ers to bring his two-game total to 22 - tied for sixth-most by a rookie in the first two games of a career since tackles were officially tracked beginning in 1994. Rodriguez is tied for third in the NFL in tackles through two weeks.
Safety Michael Taaffe, who recorded the first interception of his career in his NFL debut the previous week in Las Vegas, led the Dolphins in tackles Sunday with nine, including five solo stops.
Miami controlled the line of scrimmage in the first half, with running back De’Von Achane reaching a career-high 17 touches as the Dolphins possessed the ball for more than 20 of the first 30 minutes. The team’s second drive covered 73 yards and included 17 plays - the most on a single possession since Oct. 4, 2020, against the Seattle Seahawks - ending in a 28-yard field goal by kicker Riley Patterson. A third-quarter drive of 58 yards and 12 plays produced another field goal, marking the first time Miami had multiple scoring drives of 12-plus plays in a first half since Nov. 17, 2024, against the Raiders.
The Dolphins’ run defense also held, limiting the 49ers to 95 yards on 27 attempts, an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Against running backs Christian McCaffrey, Kaelon Black and Jordan James specifically, Miami allowed just 67 yards on 22 carries, a 3.04-yard average. On the season, the Dolphins rank sixth in rushing average allowed, having held the Raiders and 49ers to a combined 225 yards on 64 attempts at 3.5 yards per rush.
Fullback D.J. Herman hauled in an 18-yard pass from Willis on the opening drive for the first reception of his career, and tight end Will Kacmarek logged his first career catch on a four-yard reception from Willis in the third quarter. Miami’s next game will provide another opportunity for the young roster to build on the statistical markers established through the first two weeks of the 2026 season.