MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Colin Kaepernick drew boos at the start of the game. By the end, he had Miami Dolphins fans holding their breath.
Ndamukong Suh tackled Kaepernick 2 yards short of the goal line as time ran out, and the Dolphins handed the San Francisco 49ers a franchise-record 10th consecutive loss by winning 31-24 Sunday.
Ryan Tannehill threw for 285 yards and three scores to compensate for an uncharacteristically sluggish Miami ground game.
Kaepernick, who has drawn mixed reactions for kneeling during the national anthem all season, was jeered loudly in the early going for his political views, including recent comments in defense of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. He threw for 296 yards, ran for 113 and rallied the 49ers after they trailed 31-14 midway through the fourth quarter.
With the margin down to seven, Kaepernick moved the 49ers from their 38 to the 6 in the final 1:44, converting a fourth-and-11 along the way. But he threw incomplete on first down, and then was tackled from behind by the 305-pound Suh while trying to elude linebacker Kiko Alonso on the final play.
“I just played what I saw,” Suh said. “I had a one on one against a guard. I needed to beat him and then get to the quarterback. It’s not the cleanest or best way to get it done, but we got it done.”
Kaepernick said the play was called as a pass, and he faked a throw before taking off.
“I thought we had a seam to get in there and didn’t make it,” he said.
Kaepernick passed for three TDs, but the 49ers (1-10) still haven’t won since the season opener.
Instead, Miami (7-4) extended its winning streak to six games, its longest since 2005.
“It’s great to see our guys have fun at the end of the day,” first-year coach Adam Gase said. “They understand a win in this league is hard to come by.”
The timing of Kaepernick’s visit to Miami, coinciding with Castro’s death on Friday, became the latest chapter in a surreal season for the 49ers quarterback. Castro was widely reviled among South Florida’s large Cuban American population.
After the game, Kaepernick spoke about Castro’s policies.
“I agree with the investment in education,” Kaepernick said. “I also agree with the investment in free universal health care, as well as the involvement with him in helping end apartheid in South Africa. I would hope that everyone believes those things are good things. Trying to push the false narrative that I was a supporter of the oppressive things that he did is just not true.”
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