There were many question marks coming into the San Francisco 49ers' Week 2 home opener against the Miami Dolphins.
Most of those questions focused on how their recovery would be after travelling halfway across the globe to play the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in Week 1.
The Niners absolutely demolished the Rams 27-7 in that Week 1 matchup. However, many had questions about how all that travel would affect their Week 2 performance at home.
How has that travel affected the Niners thus far?
Let's take a look at how the defense has looked after one half against Miami.
49ers defense notches B-grade for 1st-half performance vs. Dolphins
Although the 49ers lead 14-6 at halftime, the defense does not look as sharp as it did in Week 1.
Considering Miami's offense is not a top-ranked unit like the Rams, it's hard to ignore that travel played a part in at least some fatigue.
The 49ers get a solid B for their performance in the first half, exemplfying the "bend don't break" mentality.
The Dolphins dominated time of possession in the first half, 19:17 to 10:43.
While the 49ers have done a decent job of slowing down quarterback Malik Willis, they've given up quite a bit of yards to running back De’Von Achane
Achane had 62 rushing yards to go along with three receptions for 19 yards receiving in the first half.
Meanwhile, the Niners' top edge rusher, Nick Bosa, is still looking for his elusive first sack of the 2026 season.
Linebacker Fred Warner, leader of the defense, has had a decent first half with five total tackles and a half a sack.
San Francisco will need more from both Warner and Bosa in the second half if it wants to close out the game and also prove to be the far superior team to Miami.
Add us as a preferred source on Google