Dolphins Week 14 Power Rankings Roundup
The Miami Dolphins took a dip in the national power rankings, as should have been expected, following their loss against the San Francisco 49ers, but they remain a unanimous top 10 team in our weekly survey of 10 national power rankings from national media outlets.
It actually was almost unanimous that the Dolphins belonged in the No. 8 spot, with seven of the 10 outlets putting them there. Two outlets — The Ringer and USA Today — kept them in the same position they stood before the game the 33-17 loss at Levi's Stadium.
In our survey of rankings of those 10 national outlets —CBS Sports, NFL.com, The Athletic, The Sporting News, The Ringer, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Yahoo, and Pro Football Talk — the Dolphins averaged a ranking of 7.4 among the 32 NFL teams, a tick down from their average of 4.7 after Week 12.
Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 10 power rankings spots, along with the commentary associated with it:
CBS Sports
Ranking: 8 Previous: 3
Analysis: Tua Tagovailoa and the offense struggled against the 49ers. But injuries up front didn't help. Now comes a big game against the Chargers and Justin Herbert.
NFL.com
Ranking: 8 Previous: 6
Analysis: Sunday brought a sobering reality check for the Dolphins, who found the art of scoring points not quite so effortless when pitted against an elite opponent like the 49ers. Tua Tagovailoa connected on a 75-yard scoring strike to Trent Sherfield on the first play from scrimmage, but most of the QB's day was characterized by heavy pressure from San Francisco's talented front seven, along with surprising accuracy issues, in a 33-17 loss. Tua should be fine — especially when his offensive line gets healthy — but questions will persist about the tenacity of Miami's high-octane attack when facing the best defenses in football.
The Athletic
Ranking: 8 Previous: 3
Analysis: By EPA per drive, Miami’s loss in San Francisco was its worst offensive performance of the season (-1.30). It also looked like the Dolphins’ worst offensive performance of the season, with Tua Tagovailoa missing receivers when they were open and affected by pressure as the game went on. So what did DeMeco Ryans and Kyle Shanahan do against Mike McDaniel, the offensive signal caller they knew so well? For one, they outright refused to play man coverage against the league’s best offense in exploiting man-to-man. According to TruMedia, San Francisco played zone on 95.6 percent of its snaps, the highest percentage the Dolphins have faced this season and the highest percentage of zone the Niners have played all year. It also helps to have Nick Bosa while Miami was without Terron Armstead.
Pro Football Talk
Ranking: 8 Previous: 4
Analysis: Although few teams have a defense as good as San Francisco’s, the loss to the 49ers is a reason for concern.
Yahoo Sports
Ranking: 8 Previous: 4
Analysis: Teams lose, and the 49ers are a tough opponent. Miami didn't have left tackle Terron Armstead and that was crucial. Still, losing by 16 points to a team using a rookie seventh-round draft pick at quarterback? That's a bad afternoon. Miami will rebound, but Sunday showed the Dolphins probably are not Super Bowl contenders.
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Sports Illustrated
Ranking: 8 Previous: 7
Analysis: This is not a knock on Tua Tagovailoa, but I wonder if the Dolphins will take Sunday’s loss to the 49ers as a recognition that he will be challenged more as a thrower in the back half of the season. Like the 49ers, Miami can probably survive regardless of how he answers the bell, but they could also extend their season if he makes certain throws look routine.
ESPN
Ranking: 6 Previous: 5
Analysis (on one stat where the team is No. 1, percentage of offensive plays going for 10-plus yards): A ridiculous 25% of the Dolphins' offensive plays this season have gained at least 10 yards, which highlights the explosive nature of this offense. It's the reason this team is hard to count out, even when they're down multiple scores -- as the Baltimore Ravens found out in dramatic fashion in Week 2. Miami is not totally reliant on big plays, but there's arguably no other offense that's more capable of providing them.
The Ringer
Ranking: 6 Previous: 6
Analysis: The Dolphins will fall out of the top 10 of this ranking if they let Sunday’s loss against San Francisco become a blueprint for other teams on how to limit Tua Tagovailoa and the offense. No other defense can replicate what Fred Warner does over the middle of the field for the 49ers, but other defenses can dial up pressure and play press coverage, hit Tagovailoa, and disrupt the timing of the offense. Head coach Mike McDaniel and company rushed to encourage Tagovailoa when the quarterback was rattled by early pressure and a few QB hits. He was missing throws he hasn’t missed all season, and the game got out of hand because of it. The reason for optimism is that Tagovailoa started to regain his confidence and play better in the fourth quarter before he left the game with an ankle injury that does not appear to be serious.
The Sporting News
Ranking: 8 Previous: 3
Analysis: The Dolphins deserve to dip with a limited offensive performance and more defensive woes against a 49ers team lost its veteran starting QB early. The road loss was expected, but the way in which happened suggests the Dolphins belong in the playoffs as only a AFC wild-card team behind the Bills.
USA Today
Ranking: 6 Previous: 6
Analysis: Many offenses have been sidetracked by San Francisco. But Sunday's abysmal showing should be a reminder to head coach Mike McDaniel that Miami also needs to run the ball after posting a season-low 33 yards on the ground.
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