Sunday Night Football has just wrapped up, but while that was going on I put together a video reaction to the 49ers 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins, which you can view above.
This was kind of an odd game given how brutal that first half was. You can tell a lot from a 6-3 halftime score, but it was just not a pretty first half. The 49ers were doing some good things, but the consistency on offense just wasn't there. Things picked up in the second half and the 49ers emerged with a much-needed win.
As I said in the recap, there are plenty of storylines to take from this game. LaMichael James did not put points on the board, but he provided some much-needed explosiveness. Aldon Smith set the 49ers single season sack record and added another sack to move within 3.5 of Michael Strahan.
And of course, there will be plenty of Colin Kaepernick discussion. While Kaepernick is doing plenty of on-the-job learning, he shows things that we just don't see from very many quarterbacks. He fits passes into some incredibly tight spaces, but of course he has to work on his touch for some passes. He showed how easily he can turn a quick QB keeper into a touchdown, but he also struggled at times with pocket awareness. It's the life of the developing quarterback. The highs more than make up for the lows, and so we'll continue to watch this development.
One thing I meant to include but forgot was a look at Chris Culliver's fourth quarter pass break-up in the end zone. Ryan Tannehill was looking to connect with Brian Hartline, and Culliver made a perfectly timed leap to break up what would have been a sure touchdown pass. The Dolphins did eventually put seven points on the board on that drive, but the play was another strong coverage play by Culliver. He is developing into quite a force in the secondary.
When you get a minute, also feel free to check out Kevin Nogle's Dolphins-side recap of the game: