Dolphins Week 3 Power Rankings Roundup: Providing a Twist

The Miami Dolphins once again reside near the bottom of every national media outlet's NFL power rankings, and we probably should get used to that idea.

The Dolphins this week were an almost unanimously dead last following their 22-point loss against the San Francisco 49ers in our survey of national outlets — Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, The Athletic, NFL.com, USA Today, Pro Football Talk, FOX Sports, The Sporting News, CBS Sports — with only the Atlanta Falcons saving them from that dubious distinction.

The Dolphins were ranked 32nd in eight of the 10 power rankings, with only The Sporting News and Pro Football Talk keeping them out of the last spot — they were 31st in both.

The average ranking position for Miami's Week 3 opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs, was 4.8 after their overtime victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

THE DOLPHINS AMONG THE WINLESS TEAMS

Before we get to our weekly rundown of the Dolphins placement in the rankings with the accompanying commentary, we wanted to take an additional approach this week, and this is a different kind of ranking.

The Dolphins are one of eight teams that have started 0-2 along with the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In a quick ranking of most disappointing starts among the winless teams, based on preseason expectations, old friend Mike McDaniel and his Chargers have to be a clear No. 1 after losing at home twice, twice by double digits and twice against teams that had a top five pick in the 2026 draft.

RANKING THE WINLESS TEAMS BY DISAPPOINTMENT LEVEL

1. Los Angeles Chargers — Offense is a mess, and now their upcoming seven-game stretch might be the most brutal in NFL history
2. Houston Texans — There's no shame in losing against the Bills and Bengals, but those were two home games for a team expected by some to be a Super Bowl contender
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Bucs pretty much have owned the NFC South in recent years and losing at home against the Browns was just not good
4. Tennessee Titans — The Titans are starting over with Robert Saleh but blew nice opportunities facing the Jets at home in their opener and then squandering a lead against the Eagles in Week 2
5. Indianapolis Colts — This is a team with playoff aspirations, and they let one slip away against the Chiefs, especially at the end of regulation when they needed a field goal to win but stalled at midfield
6. Washington Commanders — This is as much about watching Jayden Daniels injure his elbow again as it is about losing against NFC East opponents Philadelphia and Dallas
7. Atlanta Falcons — Because old friend Tua Tagovailoa couldn't answer the call in either of the first two games, the Falcons had to go with Cooper Rush at QB. Maybe Atlanta wouldn't have defeated either Pittsburgh or Carolina regardless, but one would hope there at least would have been a single snap taken in the red zone
8. Miami Dolphins — Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley both have been consistent in saying it's going to take some time for the Dolphins to get where they want, so difficult times at the start of the season really shouldn't be overly surprising, particularly with two road games to kick off the schedule

THE DOLPHINS IN WEEK 3 NATIONAL POWER RANKINGS

The Sporting News (Vinnie Iyer)

Rank: 31 Previous: 30

Analysis: The Dolphins are overmatched with limited offensive pieces to support Malik Willis once De'Von Achane is shut down in the running game. The defense somehow has been the bigger overall problem.

CBS Sports (Pete Prisco)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: This season is about playing younger players. But let's be real: It's going to be hard to take every week and now here come the Chiefs.

USA Today (Nate Davis)

Rank: 32

Analysis: Not sure why they practiced in Napa all week. Coulda gotten the same results by taking hot air balloon rides and hanging out at the wineries.

FOX Sports (Ralph Vacchiano)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: If they keep working hard, maybe they’ll gain more than 285 yards in a single game this season. Hey, dare to dream! That's the standard for this year's Dolphins team.

NFL.com (Nick Shook)

Rank: 32 Previous: 30

Analysis: The Dolphins' margin for error is so slim. Consider Sunday’s game against the 49ers, in which 21 of Miami’s first 26 offensive snaps occurred in San Francisco territory. Typically, that kind of game script produces an early lead, but the Fins put just three points on the board in that span. They have to be nearly perfect to compete with upper-tier teams like the Niners. If they don’t perform at that level, the low-ceiling offense is simply going to fall short of keeping up with more talented opponents.

The Athletic (Chad Graff and Josh Kendall)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis on rookie spotlight, Jacob Rodriguez: The second-round linebacker is tied for fourth in the league with 22 tackles, and he has plenty of company on the field in this rookie class in Miami. Seven Dolphins rookies have already started a game. That might hearten fans of a team that seems likely to struggle this season.

ESPN

Rank: 32 Previous: 31

Analysis (on QB): Willis hasn't been the issue for the Dolphins' offense, but he's clearly adjusting to a new scheme and new teammates. On one hand, Miami's receivers room consists of three rookies and has struggled to consistently get open. Willis has also been sacked at the highest rate in the NFL. But at the same time, his completion percentage over expectation of minus-3.5% ranks fourth worst in the NFL, per NFL Next Gen Stats, and there have been plays in which he refused to hit his checkdowns. Miami believes in Willis, and a learning curve is expected considering his limited starting experience.

Pro Football Talk (Mike Florio)

Rank: 31 Previous: 31

Analysis: Arch Manning will look good in aqua.

Sports Illustrated (Conor Orr)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: Check out my Panic Index for 0–2 teams, where I think I have a thoughtful breakdown of where the Dolphins are at right now. Basically? On pace for the No. 1 overall pick (good) and developing young talent (good). Everything else matters not for Jeff Hafley in Year 1. yahoo yahya

Yahoo Sports (Frank Schwab)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: The Dolphins are the only team in the NFL that has not led at any point through the first two weeks of the season, according to Doug Clawson of CBS. On Sunday, they trailed the 49ers 35-6 before a meaningless touchdown in the final three minutes. The Dolphins were fairly competitive in the first half, trailing just 14-6 at halftime, but were outscored 21-0 in the third quarter.

THE MIAMI DOLPHINS ON SI WEEK 3 POWER RANKINGS

1. Seattle
2. Buffalo
3. San Francisco
4. Kansas City
5. L.A. Rams
6. Cincinnati
7. Philadelphia
8. Denver
9. Minnesota
10. Baltimore
11. Chicago
12. Jacksonville
13. New England
14. Houston
15. New Orleans
16. Green Bay
17. Las Vegas
18. Dallas
19. Detroit
20. Carolina
21. Pittsburgh
22. N.Y. Giants
23. Arizona
24. Indianapolis
25. N.Y. Jets
26. Cleveland
27. L.A. Chargers
28. Tampa Bay
29. Washington
30. Tennessee
31. Atlanta
32. Miami

Add us as a preferred source on Google