The San Francisco 49ers lost their 10th game in a row on Sunday, falling 31-24 on the road to a red-hot Miami Dolphins team. Even though suffering another loss was utterly disappointing, there are a few positives to take away from the game. Here are three things we learned:
3) Colin Kaepernick is playing well enough to be this team's starter next season
Kaepernick easily had his best game this season against the Dolphins, passing for 296 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while rushing for 113 yards on just 10 carries. This position has been a major question mark for the Niners all year, but Kaepernick has been improving in each of his six starts this season. Now, quarterback isn't the problem with this team - which means they'll likely re-sign Kaepernick to be their starter moving forward.
2) Cutting down on turnovers is a MUST
The 49ers actually played well enough to win this game, but a string of turnovers - during one of the game's most crucial stretches - killed their chances. With the game tied 7-7, a fumble (their NFL-high 11th of the season) led to a Dolphins touchdown, then an interception allowed Miami to build a 17-7 lead. The two sides traded scores the rest of the way, and the 49ers weren't able to overcome that deficit.
With their lack of overall talent, San Francisco can not afford to continually beat themselves.
1) This team will get another win (or two) before the end of the season
All that being said, this team has continued to make strides. They've played competitive games against the Cardinals, Patriots and Dolphins over the last three weeks, all of whom are in the playoff race. Now, three of their next four games are against the lowly Bears, Jets and Rams. If this team continues this level of play, the 49ers should win at least one, but most likely two of those games.
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