It was yet another tough, heart-stopping football game for the Dolphins.  It took all 60 minutes to decide.  Dolphin fans everywhere were definitely on the edge of their seats.  Hearts pounded.  Stomachs ached.  Throats were sore from screaming.

Ah yes - this is what it feels like to play meaningful December football.  And despite all the pain and suffering that we all might have felt as this game played out, I wouldn't have it any other way.

As this team has done time and time again, the Dolphins made just enough plays and defeated the 49ers to win for the 7th time in 8 games.  That's right - the Miami Dolphins, who won just one game last season, are 7-1 in their last 8 and are officially one of the hottest - if not the hottest - team in the NFL.

WINNING WHEN THE NUMBERS SAY OTHERWISE
"All wins ain't cute, but a 'W' is always pretty."  That's what Jason Ferguson said following the Dolphins's win over SF on Sunday.

And if you were to just simply look at the numbers from Sunday's game, you would think that the scoreboard was incorrect.  Consider these figures:

The 49ers ran 79 offensive plays, 37 more than the Dolphins.  They out-gained the Dolphins by 70 yards.  They picked up 24 total first downs, 13 more than the Dolphins.  They were 8/17 on 3rd down.  They had 13 plays of 10 or more yards.  The Dolphins committed 8 penalties to SF's 4.  And the Niners held the ball for 17 more minutes than Miami.

And yet the Dolphins found a way to win this game - a game that had the feeling of a playoff game.  It was intense.  It was physical.  The crowd was loud all game.  And when it mattered most, the Dolphins were the players making plays.  That is playoff football, indeed.  And just as it is in the playoffs, it doesn't matter how you get the win.  Like Ferguson said, a win is always pretty.

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It's Friday and gameday is rapidly approaching - though I will admit that these weeks seem to be going by much slower ever since the Dolphins became legitimate playoff contenders.  Oh well - the anticipation is half the fun, I suppose.

So let's continue our preview of Sunday's game by talking about some of the "burning questions" that I'm sure many Dolphin fans have been pondering this week.

Are the Dolphins ripe for the picking?
Remember that this is a Dolphins team that was 1-15 last year.  And a lot of Miami's players don't have much, if any, playoff experience.  Some don't even know what it feels like to be involved in a playoff race.  Considering that as well as the fact that the Dolphins haven't exactly been blowing away the teams that they have been favored against, could the Dolphins be primed for an upset loss?

NFL.com seems to think so - having selected the 49ers as one of four road teams who have "a victory in reach."  Of course, the other 3 teams - the Titans, Packers, and Chargers - are all favorites in their respective games.  The Niners, on the other hand, are currently 6 point underdogs.  Yes, NFL.com did indeed "slap" the Dolphins right in their face.  Ouch!

Luckily, the players themselves seem to be confident that they will not overlook the 49ers.  Vonnie Holliday said this week, "Considering where we've come from, I would think it would be highly unlikely to overlook an opponent."  Vonnie added that the playoffs "are something to be excited about. It's motivating, no doubt about it. We understand where we are, but we also understand how we got here. We took it one game at a time, one day at a time. That's the kind of team we have."

But perhaps Chad Pennington, this team's offensive leader said it best: "You can't win three until you win one. That's real simple."

Will Miami's defense continue their terrific play - especially against the pass?
We're all aware that the Dolphins have won 6 of their last 7 games.  And one of the big reasons for that has been the play of their secondary.  In those 6 wins, the Dolphins have allowed just 175.6 yards per game through the air and have intercepted 8 passes.

What you may not know, though, is how outside of 3 games, the Dolphins have played very, very well against the pass.  I know it's not fair to do this, but humor me.  If you take away 3 games, the game in Arizona, the game in Houston, and the game against the Patriots in Miami - all of which saw the Dolphins get torched through the air - the Dolphins, in their 10 other games, have only allowed 173.2 yards per game passing - which would rank them 2nd in the NFL.  And if you wanted to add back those 3 bad performances, but instead of allowing 381 yards passing per game in those 3, assume the Fins allowed only 280 in each game, the Dolphins would still have a top 10 defense against the pass.

So as bad as the secondary has played at times, they are actually not a unit that's as bad as people think.

Enter Shaun Hill.  As a starter this season, Hill is 3-2 and is averaging 235.8 yards passing per game and had a QB rating of at least 95 in each of his last 4 starts.  He's a QB who can make all the throws and will really distribute the ball well - never really keying on one specific target.  And what makes him most dangerous is how the offense has clearly rallied around him.  When you watch the Niners' offense play, they look totally different than they did earlier in the season.  So don't take Hill and SF's passing attack lightly.  You're going to likely be surprised with how good they are.

It'll be a big task for the Dolphins to limit Hill's success through the air.

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To help us break down the game on Sunday between the Dolphins and 49ers, I'd like to welcome Fooch from Niners Nation - SBN's 49ers blog.  We each picked 2 key matchups for Sunday's game and then have given our opinions on which team has the advantage. 

So read our thoughts and then voice your opinions by getting involved below.

MATCHUP #1: Ronnie Brown vs 49ers Front Seven
Matty I: It's getting to that time in the season where you need to run the ball effectively to win.  With at least two more games remaining in potentially cold-weather cities, the Dolphins need to get into that PTR (pound the rock) kind of mindset.  The 49ers haven't played particularly well against he run in their last 4 games.  Here are SF's last 4 opponents' leading rushers: Thomas Jones (10 for 56), Marshawn Lynch (16 for 134), Marion Barber (19 for 59), and Antonio Pittman (14 for 95).  That's a 5.83 yards per carry average combined among those 4 backs.  And Ronnie Brown is just as talented, if not more talented, than every back on that list.  Advantage: Dolphins

Fooch: This is an interesting matchup for the 49ers.  Heading into this past game against the Jets, the 49ers were #2 on defense in the NFL in yards per rush up the middle.  49ers nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin has gotten a lot of grief but has stepped up his play as of late.  As he has become more of a force in the middle, it's made it easier for ILBs Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes to make plays (they're #1 and #2 on the team in tackles).  The 49ers have certainly given up a decent chunk of yards lately, but to be perfectly honest, the yards really haven't hurt them.  The Bills were shut down in the red zone, the Jets abandoned the run and the Rams....well they're the Rams.  And Dallas only averaged 2.6 yards per carry.  I wouldn't be surprised to see the Dolphins get their fair share of rushing yards.  However, I see this like the Bills game, where an always game 49ers red zone defense can contain the rushing attack in the red zone.  I give the 49ers the advantage for that reason alone.  Advantage: 49ers

MATCHUP #2: Frank Gore/DeShaun Foster vs Dolphins Front Seven
Matty I: This is going to be a very interesting matchup.  Gore, who is nursing an ankle injury, has been very good this season - 978 rushing yards on the season placing him 11th in NFL.  But his last 3 games have been very mediocre.  Against the Jets, Bills, and Cowboys, Gore totaled just 144 rushing yards on 52 carries (2.8 ypc).  On the other hand, the Dolphins have the NFL's 11th ranked rushing defense and only allow 3.9 yards per carry.  But they've been up and down in their last 4 games.  Back in week 11 against Oakland, the Dolphins allowed just 70 yards rushing and 3.3 yards per carry.  But in week 12 against NE and week 13 against St. Louis, the Fins surrendered a combined total of 251 yards and 4.56 ypc.  Then just last week, the Dolphins held the dynamic Marshawn Lynch to just 31 yards on 13 carries.  So it's unknown which Dolphins' defense will show up.  But since Gore might be slowed by the injured ankle, I'll give the slight advantage to Miami.  Advantage: Dolphins

Fooch: The 49ers running game has really struggled the last few weeks.  Frank Gore just hasn't seemed to be able to get a full ahead of steam.  Throw in the ankle injury this past week against the Jets and it could be a tough road ahoe for the 49ers rushing attack.  Gore missed virtually the entire second half of the Jets game, as DeShaun Foster finished out the game.  Foster struggled in securing the ball and hopefully worked on that this week.  I think Gore plays this Sunday because he's from Miami and I'm curious how the emotion of coming home affects his play.  Given his recent performances I'm not expecting a big game but I think he'll do enough to take some pressure off Shaun Hill.  Entering this season I never would have conceded this matchup, but given Gore's struggles the last three weeks, I think the Dolphins have the edge. Advantage: Dolphins

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