At some point, Jeff Hafley will get his first victory as an NFL head coach.
But the way the Dolphins have looked the first two weeks of the season, he could be waiting awhile.
Hafley sized up Sunday’s 35-13 loss to the 49ers this way:
“It was a tale of two halves. We showed improvement [in the first half]. We played hard. We played looser. In the second half, I don’t think it was a lack of effort. We did something extremely uncharacteristic on the first play on the second half and gave up an explosive [on a reception by 49ers tight end George Kittle].”
Then, as Hafley said, it happened again a minute later on the TD pass to Kittle where there again seemed to be a miscommunication.
“We didn’t coach well enough in the second half,” Hafley said. “We didn’t play well enough. I thought we had a great week of preparation. I thought we were ready to play better. Second half, not good enough in any phase.”
Miami outgained the 49ers, 165 to 125, in the first half and trailed by just eight at the break. But the 49ers took control with a 21-point third quarter.
“We had a chance on the first third down [of the game] to get off the field; we had an unblocked guy,” Hafley said. “There were opportunities for us to get off the field, and we didn’t make the play for one reason or another… There’s a Pro Bowl [for the 49ers at practically] every position. You have to keep them off the field.”
Hafley addressed other issues:
▪ He had no updates on two players who left with injuries: running back Jaylen Wright (stinger) and receiver Caleb Douglas (ankle). He wasn’t asked about defensive lineman Robert Beal Jr., who sustained a hamstring injury.
▪ On right tackle Austin Jackson repeatedly being left to block All-Pro Nick Bosa on his own: “There were conversations and certain looks where we did help him, and we have to help him more.” Bosa wasn’t credited with a sack but created a lot of havoc.
▪ On Riley Patterson missing a 51-yarder, his second miss in two weeks after finishing 27 for 29 on field goals last season: “We’ve got to hit the field goals. That’s two misses in two games. We’re counting on him to make those kicks.”
▪ On Bradley Pinion fumbling a punt: “He has been punting for a really long time. He has to catch the ball.”
▪ On successfully using the Tush Push, the play the Eagles have used for years, on a first-down run by Malik Willis that was aided by fullback DJ Herman pushing him: “We’ve got two big guards and an athletic center. If we feel we can do it successfully, we will use it.”
▪ On going a second game in a row without a sack: “We rushed four. We rushed six. We rushed five. We zero pressured them. Hopefully we’ll get Chop Robinson back soon… In drop back pass mode, can we get them with four? I have to have a better answer for you, because it hasn’t worked in the first two games. I’m going to continue to try to generate more pressure because we’re not getting there right now.”
▪ He said the Dolphins “can play with really good teams” if each player does his “one-eleventh” and avoids mistakes.
Here’s my Sunday postgame piece on a miserable condition that has afflicted Dolphins fans for years, and our plea to Jon-Eric Sullivan to fix it.
This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 7:55 PM.
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.