Malik Willis throws 3 TDs as Miami Dolphins beat San Francisco 49ers 27-23 in Week 2

Santa Clara, CA - Malik Willis completed 24 of 26 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns as the Miami Dolphins defeated the San Francisco 49ers 27-23 in Week 2.

Willis finished with a 157.2 passer rating and a longest completion of 41 yards, directing a Miami passing game that recorded 316 yards. The Dolphins finished with 372 offensive yards and 19 first downs, exceeding San Francisco's marks of 311 offensive yards and 16 first downs.

"The accuracy is what I'm happiest about," Willis said. "We didn't leave many throws out there, and different guys were able to finish opportunities for us. That's the kind of balance you want from the passing game."

Miami's three touchdown receptions were spread among JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Tolbert and Greg Dulcich. Smith-Schuster caught five passes for 54 yards, Tolbert had three receptions for 44 yards and Dulcich added three catches for 43 yards. Their longest receptions went for 23, 25 and 19 yards, respectively.

"Everybody had a part in it," Smith-Schuster said. "When the ball came my way, I wanted to give us something positive. Seeing three different receivers get into the end zone says a lot about how many options we had."

The Dolphins were considerably more productive through the air than on the ground. They finished with 56 rushing yards, including 30 yards on 17 carries from De'Von Achane. Willis added 27 yards on four attempts, with a long run of 15 yards.

One of the clearest statistical differences came inside the red zone. Miami scored three touchdowns and two field goals across five trips. San Francisco also reached the red zone five times but finished those possessions with one touchdown and two field goals.

The 49ers still received an efficient performance from Brock Purdy, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Purdy posted a 108.7 passer rating, and his longest completion covered 43 yards. Neither defense recorded an interception, while both teams produced two sacks.

"There were good things in the passing game, but the red-zone number is frustrating," Purdy said. "When you get down there five times, you want more than one touchdown. We have to look at that honestly because the difference between touchdowns and field goals is significant."

George Kittle supplied one of San Francisco's two touchdown catches and finished with three receptions for 49 yards, including the 43-yard gain. Jordan James caught the other touchdown pass, although his two receptions totaled only 2 yards. Mike Evans led the 49ers' listed receivers with four catches for 67 yards.

James was also San Francisco's leading rusher, carrying 14 times for 81 yards with a longest run of 22 yards. The 49ers recorded 85 rushing yards as a team, 29 more than Miami.

"I thought there were yards available for us in the run game," James said. "But the result is what stays with you. We had five red-zone trips and didn't get enough touchdowns out of them."

Neither offense consistently extended possessions on third down. Miami converted 2 of 6 attempts, while San Francisco went 3-for-11. The 49ers also converted 2 of 3 fourth-down attempts. Even with the teams combining for only five successful third-down conversions, both quarterbacks threw multiple touchdown passes and finished with passer ratings above 100.

For Miami, Willis' two incompletions across 26 attempts defined an unusually precise afternoon. The Dolphins paired that efficiency with points on all five of their recorded red-zone trips and left Santa Clara with the four-point Week 2 victory.

Up Next

The Miami Dolphins return home in Week 3 to host the Kansas City Chiefs, while the San Francisco 49ers remain home and look to rebound against the Arizona Cardinals.