The Miami Dolphins mixed things up in more ways than one against the San Francisco 49ers. After a month of largely dinking and dunking down the field in the passing game, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick came out and threw a deep shot on the first play from scrimmage for the Miami offense in Week 5 — and was rewarded with a big play on the ball by wide receiver Preston Williams against inexperienced cornerback Brian Allen.
It set the tone for the entire game.
Miami continued to push the ball down the field, with Williams often being the beneficiary of Fitzpatrick’s deeper shots down the field. Mike Gesicki had one on a corner route and DeVante Parker won a big one in the end zone on third and long. But perhaps Miami’s most important play call of the game wasn’t the opening shot down the field. Nor was it any of the successful pressure packages Brian Flores and Josh Boyer called up.
It was a 1-yard rush in the second half.
With Miami leading the game 30-14 but faced with 4th and 1 from their own 34-yard line and 6:21 remaining in the third quarter, conventional wisdom would say to punt the football. But San Francisco had just undergone a quarterback change and scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half. They were teetering on the bring of collecting some momentum. The Dolphins ultimately decided to fake a punt — with up-back Clayton Fejedelem diving up the middle for a yard and a half to convert 4th down on a play that, had it faltered, would have immediately set San Francisco up to score and potentially make it a one score game.
Miami’s next three plays would hit for 33, 2 and 32 yards, the final one being a deep strike to Williams to put the Dolphins up 37-14 and effectively ice the 49ers’ comeback hopes.
After a Week 4 performance that saw Miami surprisingly and frustratingly keep things a little too close to the vest, this was a huge tone-setting call for Brian Flores and his coaching staff. Miami opted to play it safe on two 4th and short scenarios inside the 15-yard line against Seattle the previous week, but there would be no conservatism in Brian Flores’ plan of attack this week versus San Francisco. Miami went for the kill.
As this team continues to learn how to close games consistently, confidence in these kinds of calls — and the subsequent execution of them — will go a long way.