Ed Mullholland - USA Today Sports
Dolphins Week 6 Power Rankings Roundup
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The Miami Dolphins continued to fall in the national NFL power rankings following their second consecutive loss, this one a 40-17 decision against the New York Jets.
The Dolphins, of course, were down to third quarterback Skylar Thompson against the Jets after Teddy Bridgewater was removed from the game after one offensive play because of the new concussion rules, this after he started in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa.
In our survey of rankings of 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 11.8 among the 32 NFL teams, down from their average of 5.5 after Week 4.
The Dolphins were ranked as high as sixth and as low as 18th.
Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 10 power rankings spots, along with the commentary associated with it:
CBS Sports
Ranking: 10 Previous: 5
Analysis: With Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater out, they had no shot against the Jets. But the defense has been an issue all season long. That's a major concern.
NFL.com
Ranking: 18 Previous: 10
Analysis: The Dolphins have cooled off after their hot start, and injuries at the game’s most important position help to explain why. Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) sat out Sunday's game against the Jets, and backup Teddy Bridgewater lasted one play before he, too, was sidelined after being evaluated for a head injury. Bridgewater passed the tests administered by doctors on Sunday, but was ruled out due to the new "ataxia" addendum to the league's concussion protocols. Third-string QB Skylar Thompson performed admirably on short notice, but struggled to take advantage of Miami's explosive playmakers. The result was an average Dolphins attack that all but disappeared in the fourth quarter, when the Jets reeled off 21 unanswered points to turn a tight contest into a laugher for the home team in green.
The Athletic
Ranking: 15 Previous: 5
Analysis: Maybe Teddy Bridgewater will be able to move quickly through the concussion protocol this week in order to start for the Dolphins on Sunday, but Miami is in danger of frittering away its 3-0 start if it has to go with Skylar Thompson against the Vikings. Enter Sudfeld, who spent the 2021 season with Mike McDaniel. Because the Lions have a bye this week, it’s no skin off their backs to not have a backup quarterback. Then the Dolphins can trade Sudfeld back to the Lions next week and he can be embroiled in a brand-new competitive-balance controversy.
Pro Football Talk
Ranking: 14 Previous: 5
Analysis: It may be the Skylar Thompson show against the Vikings on Sunday.
Yahoo Sports
Ranking: 10 Previous: 5
Analysis: The NFL is unfair. No, the Dolphins were never the best team in the NFL, as some were saying after they started 3-0. But they were good. Then they lost a quarterback in each of the past two games and are 3-2. Both games were close in the fourth quarter and probably Miami wins if they had their quarterback who started the game. It's hard to even get a true read on Miami until they get Tua Tagovailoa back.
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Sports Illustrated
Ranking: 9 Previous: 4
Analysis: We can’t punish a team down to its third-string quarterback too severely. The Dolphins are still dangerous, and they’re fifth in the NFL in EPA per dropback. This is still astounding, even if Tua Tagovailoa was under center for every down.
ESPN
Ranking: 12 Previous: 5
Analysis (on the biggest obstacle to making the playoffs): The health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who remains in concussion protocol after being briefly hospitalized in Week 4, is paramount. There is no timetable for his return, at least not one that the Dolphins have shared publicly, and their first game without him was a bust. Teddy Bridgewater was ruled out after a single snap Sunday and was also placed in concussion protocol. Rookie Skylar Thompson then had a rough debut in a 40-17 loss to the Jets. Miami's schedule for the next two months is easy enough to get it back atop the AFC -- with Tagovailoa under center. That confidence wanes with anyone else.
The Ringer
Ranking: 6 Previous: 7
Analysis: By the second offensive snap of Sunday’s game against the Jets, the Dolphins were down to their third-string QB, rookie Skylar Thompson, after Teddy Bridgewater was removed under the NFL’s new concussion protocol. (Starter Tua Tagovailoa remains sidelined because of the concussion he suffered in Week 4.) Thompson completed 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards and threw an interception in his NFL debut. Running back Raheem Mostert and the Dolphins’ rushing attack helped keep the game close into the fourth quarter, but after Tyreek Hill exited with a foot injury, the offense unsurprisingly ran out of gas in the final 15 minutes of the 40-17 loss.
The Sporting News
Ranking: 12 Previous: 5
Analysis: The Dolphins' offense has gone from breakout with Tua Tagovailoa to hampered with rookie Skylar Thompson in a hurry. Their defense isn't capable of holding up in that scenario and the Jets exposed that with a variety of plays featuring a similar creative attack.
USA Today
Ranking: 12 Previous: 4
Analysis: Yes, the quarterback depth chart is temporarily tattered. But that's masked the disappearance of the defense – and, to a lesser extent, the special teams – over the past two weeks, when Miami has been torched for 67 points.
