Miami Dolphins vs San Francisco 49ers Predictions

Miami's defensive absences meet a demanding spread

Miami will be without edge rusher Chop Robinson and inside linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr., according to the Miami Dolphins' official preview. That leaves absences at two levels of the defense against San Francisco, which beat the Rams 27-7 in Week 1. SPF lists the 49ers at -13.5, requiring a win by at least 14 points to cover.

The same preview reports that Miami rookies played 436 snaps in the opener, the most in a Week 1 game since snap-count records began in 2006. That establishes how heavily Miami relied on newcomers, but it doesn't show how well they played or justify betting against them.

San Francisco 49ers confirmed that wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling went on injured reserve Saturday. The Dolphins' preview also lists 49ers kicker Eddy Piñeiro as questionable, leaving his availability unresolved.

Winner and wager

San Francisco is the likely winner. At SPF's -950 moneyline, though, a $950 stake returns just $100 in profit and needs a win probability above 90.5% to break even. One convincing result and Miami's absences don't establish that probability or a dependable margin against the spread.