Dolphins 2021 Week 17 Power Rankings Roundup
The Miami Dolphins made it seven in a row with their Monday night victory against the New Orleans Saints, in the process becoming the first team in NFL history with both a seven-game winning streak and seven-game losing streak in the same season.
It was enough to move the Dolphins up again in national NFL power rankings and they're now ranked 15.6 on average, up from 18.1 after Week 15, based on the seven national outlets we use for our weekly rankings roundup — SI, NFL.com, ESPN. CBSSports.com, Pro Football Network, Yahoo Sports and USA Today.
The Dolphins are ranked as high as 12th out of the 32 NFL teams (by NFL.com and PFN) and as low as 18th (Yahoo Sports).
Here's a roundup of the 2021 power rankings heading into Week 17, with the previous ranking in parentheses and the comments from each outlet:
Ranking: No. 17 (T-22)
Analysis: "Raise your hand if you expected the Dolphins to win seven games in a row when they started 1–7. Put your hand down, liar. The Dolphins have not beaten anyone good, but in a league with this many middling, struggling or depleted teams, they haven’t really had to. (To be fair, I though the Ravens were good when Miami caught them on a Thursday night.) This is a captivating ride that has taken Miami into playoff position, but we’ll know a lot more about them after they play the Titans and Patriots the next two weeks."
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Ranking: No. 12 (13)
Analysis: "The Dolphins made history on Monday Night Football, becoming the first team to have a seven-game losing streak and seven-game winning streak in the same season. It's only fitting a team pulled this off in the bizarre and increasingly unstable 2021 season. Offensive coordinator George Godsey built a game plan that highlighted the playmaking abilities of Jaylen Waddle, who continues to look the part of an emerging superstar. The defense had fun against New Orleans' decimated offense, sacking overmatched rookie Ian Book eight times. The Dolphins' schedule finally tightens up in the final two weeks with matchups against the Titans and Patriots. Win both, and they're in."
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Ranking: No. 16 (18)
Analysis on the team's non-quarterback MVP (Jaylen Waddle): "Since I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to give this award to Miami's entire defense, let's present it to the man who makes the Dolphins' offense relevant. The team's leading receiver also has been the most consistent, missing only the Week 15 win over the Jets while he was on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Waddle's absence was noticeable, as Miami's receivers only created on average 2.2 yards of separation against the Jets' secondary. Waddle's season average of 3.3 yards of separation is eighth best in the NFL among qualified receivers. He already has broken a franchise rookie record for receptions with 96 and is five catches away from tying the NFL rookie record in that category."
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Ranking: No. 17 (20)
Analysis: "If they win their last two, they will be in the playoffs. It won't be easy as they play at Tennessee and then close against the Patriots."
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Ranking: No. 12 (13)
Analysis: "The Dolphins have won seven games in a row, and they need to win nine straight if they realistically want a chance to make the playoffs in the AFC. With Tennessee and New England still on the docket, their win on Monday night against the Saints was imperative. Jaylen Waddle had a nice game against New Orleans. He once again recorded double-digit catches and was clearly the leading option in Miami’s passing attack. The Dolphins’ defense suffocated the rookie QB on the opposite side, who clearly was not ready for the assignment."
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Ranking: No. 18 (21)
Analysis: "It's crazy, but the Dolphins will enter 2022 in the playoff bracket. They have games against the Titans and Patriots to go, but rallying from 1-7 is impressive. They're the first team in NFL history with a seven-game winning streak and a seven-game losing streak in the same season."
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Ranking: No. 17 (20)
Analysis: "They're the first team to have a seven-game losing streak and seven-game winning streak in the same season – and could be the first team to qualify for the playoffs following a 1-7 start."
