Purdy Misses Twice All Day as 49ers Bury Dolphins 35-13
Brock Purdy completed 20 of 22 passes, Christian McCaffrey reached 100 career touchdowns, and a 21-point third quarter turned San Francisco's home opener into a rout of winless Miami.
The score says 35-13, but the number that matters is two — the total incompletions Brock Purdy threw all afternoon. San Francisco's home opener at Levi's Stadium was less a contest than a demonstration, and it leaves the 49ers at 2-0 — their fifth 2-0 start since 2019 — while Miami falls to 0-2 with real questions everywhere.
Efficiency as a weapon
Purdy finished 20-of-22 for 287 yards with two touchdown passes, a rushing score and a 149.1 passer rating, per NBC Sports Bay Area. "He was real sharp. He was on point," head coach Kyle Shanahan said afterward.
The milestones piled up around him. Christian McCaffrey punched in two one-yard touchdowns, the second the 100th touchdown of his NFL career, adding 43 receiving yards on four catches. George Kittle led all receivers with four catches for 80 yards and a 12-yard score — his first touchdown since the Achilles injury he suffered in January — while also logging his 600th career reception, according to the team's recap. Even fullback Kyle Juszczyk got in on it with a six-yard touchdown catch.
The third quarter broke it open
After McCaffrey's opening score and Purdy's two-yard scramble made it a working lead, the game tilted for good in a three-touchdown third quarter: Kittle, Juszczyk and McCaffrey all found the end zone in the span of one period.
On the other side, Miami quarterback Malik Willis spent the day under siege from a 49ers pass rush that produced sacks from five different players, including rookie Romello Height's first in the NFL, per the team. The Dolphins never seriously threatened after halftime.
What it means
San Francisco has opened the season winning with efficiency rather than volume — few possessions wasted, almost no negative plays from the quarterback. The main cost of the day: wide receiver Demarcus Robinson left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. For Miami, an 0-2 hole with an offense that has yet to look functional makes the coming weeks feel very long already.