The road gets no easier for the San Francisco 49ers with a Week 12 road game against the Miami Dolphins. The red-hot Dolphins are riding a five-game winning streak and own a 6-4 record on the year.
First-year head coach Adam Gase has Miami's offense humming as the group has scored at least 27 points in four of the team's last five games. Ryan Tannehill is in his fifth season as the Dolphins starting quarterback and has 12 touchdowns this season.
The 49ers first trip to Miami since 2008 will be another opportunity to put an end to what has ballooned into a nine-game losing streak.
All-time Record: 6-6 (1-0 in the postseason)
Miami won the first four meetings between the two franchises. San Francisco's first victory didn't come until Joe Montana and the 49ers topped Dan Marino's Dolphins, 38-16, in Super Bowl XIX.
The 49ers have since gone 4-2 in regular season contests against the Dolphins.
Previous Matchup: 49ers 27 – 13 Dolphins (Dec. 9, 2012 in San Francisco)
Leading 20-13 in the final minutes of the game, Colin Kaepernick ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run to put the game on ice. San Francisco's defense held Tannehill to 150 passing yards and sacked him twice.
The Dolphins Best Player: Jay Ajayi
Jarvis Landry, Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh were all options here, but Ajayi's hot hand breaks the tie. The second-year running back out of Boise State has been on a tear during Miami's five-game winning streak.
Ajayi burst onto the scene in Week 6 with 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The "Jay Train" followed with a 214-yard encore performance against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Ajayi has 802 rushing yards on the year with six touchdowns. His 5.6 yards per carry ranks second in the NFL.
Who You Should Get to Know: DeVante Parker
The 14th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft is starting to come into his own. Parker has 13 receptions for 182 yards and one touchdown over his past two games and is emerging as one of Tannehill's favorite targets. The 6-foot-3 wideout is on pace to eclipse his rookie season totals with 38 catches for 485 yards and two scores on the year.
Second-year cornerback Tony Lippett was another candidate here. The former Michigan State wide receiver is tied for the team-lead with two interceptions.
Where They Excel: Pass Defense
The Dolphins are allowing just 224.5 yards per game, eighth-best in the NFL. Miami's nine interceptions are also tied for ninth-most in the league. The Dolphins 23 sacks haven't hurt their ability to play against the pass either.
Where They Struggle: Rush Defense
Despite having Suh and Wake up front, Miami is still allowing 4.3 yards per carry and 126 rushing yards per game. Those numbers rank 22nd and 30th, respectively. The Dolphins have also allowed 10 runs of more than 20 years this season.
