The longest road trip on the 2026 calendar for the Miami Dolphins wraps up Sunday in San Francisco. The Dolphins are looking to split the west coast swing and return home at 1-1. The 49ers are in search of a follow-up performance to their dominant Week 1 showing in a 27-7 victory over their divisional rival, the Los Angeles Rams, in Australia.
In Week 1, the 49ers had the same opportunity presented to the Dolphins in Week 2 – an extended work trip, creating chances for team bonding. The Dolphins have been in Napa, California, as they prepare for Sunday's kickoff.
"Guys are spending extra time with their coaches and then they're sitting out by the fire talking, they're playing ping pong," Head Coach Jeff Hafley said. "Guys are sitting and playing cards at 8 o'clock when I'm walking out, sitting in the meal room for longer and just spending more time together. I think for a young team this week is very important."
That young roster Hafley alluded to currently paces the NFL in snaps played by rookies. The 436 snaps played by Dolphins first-year players was the most by any team in a Week 1 contest since at least 2006, when snap count data became available.
Conversely, the 49ers feature one of the more experienced rosters in the NFL, led by Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, who has held that position for nearly a decade. The 49ers roster features several All-Pros and a cumulative 54 Pro Bowl appearances.
Seventeen of those 54 Pro Bowl appearances are made up by a trio of offensive skill players in wide receiver Mike Evans, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey. Playing three different positions, with skillsets unique to each other, the San Francisco offense is a juggernaut, evident by five top-10 finishes in points scored under Shanahan.
"It makes it a big challenge, right? And then you combine that with, in my opinion, one of the best play callers in all the game," Hafley said. "You know it's funny, even looking back, think about a lot of these guys were there when I was there back in '18. So, it's the same guys in the same system with the same coach and they brought some guys back and added some weapons. But it will be a big challenge. I have a ton of respect for all those players and obviously Kyle."
For the Dolphins, the focus has been on technique, fundamentals and their own brand of football. While the result in Las Vegas was not what they wanted, the youngest team in the NFL showed growth through the adjustments it made from the first half to the second, with hopes that upward trajectory carries into Week 2.
"I think just executing at every position, executing at every position, every play that we can," quarterback Malik Willis said. "Obviously, if you lose, you lose, but making sure we're doing the right things, going to the right people, giving ourselves a chance. And that's it, really."
Willis' top target, wide receiver Caleb Douglas, matched Tyreek Hill in his Dolphins debut. The 94 receiving yards from the rookie tied Hill for the most in a first game in aqua and orange. Douglas has been on his details since he arrived in Miami after April's draft.
"I think we saw it in camp," Hafley said. "I think we saw it in the preseason games and I just think he's been a consistent player that (Malik Willis) trusts and he is going to continue to try to get him the ball."
The Dolphins will be without edge rusher Chop Robinson and inside linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr., while the 49ers ruled out wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling and kicker Eddy Pineiro is questionable. Make sure to check out the Injury Report and the team's official social media accounts 90 minutes before kickoff to see who is active for the game.
Watch the game live on Sunday, September 20 at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX. You can also listen on the Dolphins Radio Network and view the Game Center for the latest coverage.
