Dolphins Week 5 Power Rankings Roundup: Baby Steps Recognized

The Miami Dolphins remained winless following their loss against the Minnesota Vikings, but after their closest call yet this season they're inching their way out of the bottom of the NFL power rankings.

The Dolphins finished just one point behind the Tennessee Titans in our weekly 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 an average ranking of 31.4 compared to 31.3 for the AFC South team.

The Dolphins did get a ranking as high as 29th, that coming from Nick Shook of NFL.com.

The average ranking position for Miami's Week 5 opponents, the Cincinnati Bengals, was 14.2 after their loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on Sunday dropped them to 2-2 on the season.

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'll again examine the other winless teams.

The Dolphins were one of five teams that started 0-3 along with the Houston Texans, Titans, Los Angeles Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and remarkably (or perhaps not) all five of them lost in Week 4.

In a quick ranking of most disappointing starts among the winless teams, based on preseason expectations, the distinction of ranking at the top there comes down to either Houston, which some analysts had pegged as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, or the Chargers, whose offense was supposed to ignite with former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their new OC but instead has been a comedy of errors.

EXAMINING THE OUTLOOK FOR THE WINLESS TEAMS

We are assured of having no more than four teams without a win after Week 5, barring a tie, because Houston and Tennessee will be facing each other. The Dolphins will be at home against Cincinnati, the Chargers will be at home against Denver, and Tampa Bay is playing the Thursday night game at Dallas.

Los Angeles Chargers — Their offense finally showed signs of life in the second half of their Week 4 loss at Seattle, but they already trailed 27-6 by that point. It was bad enough again Sunday that head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked about McDaniel's job security in the aftermath.
Houston Texans — Houston wasted C.J. Stroud's best performance of the season because its vaunted defense couldn't stop Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Bucs are in a major trouble with QB Baker Mayfield expected to miss a few more games and the current option at quarterback being undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels.
Tennessee Titans — The Titans gave the Baltimore Ravens a pretty good game in Week 4, but couldn't overcome mistake like running back Tony Pollard deflecting a shovel pass from Cam Ward into the arms of a defender for an interception.
Miami Dolphins — The Dolphins gave themselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter their last two games, and now it's a matter of being able to finish.

THE DOLPHINS IN WEEK 5 NATIONAL POWER RANKINGS

The Sporting News (Vinnie Iyer)

Rank: 31 Previous: 32

Analysis: The Dolphins played with more defensive energy in Minnesota and are trying to do what they can with now Malik Willis and Ollie Gordon II leading the offense. They still are dealing with an overall talent deficiency from week to week.

CBS Sports (Pete Prisco)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: Their offense is so limited right now, which showed up against the Vikings. The defense actually played a solid game and kept them in it.

USA Today (Nate Davis)

Rank: 32

Analysis: They haven't led for a single minute of any game so far.

FOX Sports (Ralph Vacchiano)

Rank: 31 Previous: 32

Analysis: Yes, they’re movin’ on up! But don’t get comfy up this high. They still stink. And they’re probably still the worst team in football. But they deserve a reward for pushing an undefeated (though likely overrated) Vikings team to the limit. They only lost by five points (though it would’ve been 12 if Minnesota TE T.J. Hockenson hadn’t slid at the 1 to let the clock run down with two minutes remaining). RB Ollie Gordon did a nice job replacing the injured DeVon Achane (100 yards on 9 carries, albeit 53 on one). But QB Malik Willis is still as bad as many of us thought he’d be.

NFL.com (Nick Shook)

Rank: 29 Previous: 32

Analysis: Haters who haven’t watched the Dolphins will call them the worst team in the league. I am not a hater. Miami is on a slow-but-steady track of improvement, showing signs of progress with each week. It's still a low-ceiling offense and the team remains winless, but I see the vision Jeff Hafley has for the Fins.

The Athletic (Chad Graff and Josh Kendall)

Rank: 31 Previous: 31

Analysis on concern level (not as high as you'd think): Without De’Von Achane, Ollie Gordon ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, while the defense looked good against the Vikings. They’re a rebuilding team headed for an ugly record, but there have been some brief moments of hope along the way.

ESPN

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: Through the first two weeks of the season, the Dolphins looked like they weren't ready to compete. In Weeks 3 and 4, however, their defense pushed a pair of undefeated division leaders to the brink. On Sunday, the Dolphins recorded 17 pressures and four sacks -- their first sacks of the season -- while holding an admittedly struggling Minnesota offense out of the end zone. First-year coach Jeff Hafley said his team is "starting to believe." Rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said the team is close to its first win: "The physicality and the want-to are there. ... We've just got to learn how to win." -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Pro Football Talk (Mike Florio)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: Could the first team to go 17-0 go 0-17?

Sports Illustrated (Conor Orr)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: Until Miami gets a win, this will become a Jacob Rodriguez bot account. I have Rodriguez right there in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation.

Yahoo Sports (Frank Schwab)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: The Dolphins battled at Minnesota, and if they didn't get unlucky on Chris Bell barely stepping out of bounds before catching a long touchdown and getting an illegal touching penalty, maybe they'd have a win. But it's another loss, and Miami's offense is still hard to watch. Unfortunately for Dolphins fans, it's a familiar feeling.

THE MIAMI DOLPHINS ON SI WEEK 5 POWER RANKINGS

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

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