Have the Dolphins or 49ers Been More Disappointing?

The Week 16 battle at Hard Rock Stadium was supposed to match two major contenders

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws the ball under pressure from Miami Dolphins defensive end Zach Sieler (92) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium in the teams' 2022 matchup. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins' Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers will feature a battle of two teams barely clinging to faint playoff hopes after massively disappointing and frustrating season.

Each team finds itself with a 6-8 record, three wins behind the team (or teams) currently holding the last playoff spot in their conference.

It obviously wasn't supposed to be that way for the Dolphins after their consecutive playoff appearances or for the 49ers after they reached the NFC Championship Game and then the Super Bowl the past two seasons.

While the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys also deserve consideration, it's not a stretch to suggest the game at Hard Rock Stadium will match the two most disappointing teams in the NFL in 2024.

But which one is more disappointing?

THE 49ERS TOUGH TO BEAT IN THIS CATEGORY

There are clearly similarities between the teams, starting with each having to deal with touchy contract issues in the summer that may or may not have set a tone for the way the season would play it out.

While the Dolphins ended up handing new deals to Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Jalen Ramsey, the 49ers had their own issues with Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams.

The 49ers eventually did take care of both players, but not before trade talks involving Ayiuk and Williams not reporting to camp.

And then, as fate would have it, both Ayiuk and Williams ended up sustaining injuries that caused them to miss a good chunk of the season.

Injuries actually have been a huge story for the 49ers, who will use their fifth lead running back against the Dolphins with Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason on IR and rookie Isaac Guerendo injured. But the 49ers also have lost other key players at different positions.

The 49ers also have shown an inability this season to win close games, with a 2-5 record in games decided by one score or less. The Dolphins have been only slightly better in those games, with a 4-4 record.

Each team's quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa and Brock Purdy, has had some shining moments, but also has come up short in big games.

Given their deep playoff runs of the past two seasons, it's difficult to pick any team that's been more disappointing than the 49ers.

The Dolphins are close, but not quite in the same league. Not that it's a league any team aspires to join.