Dolphins Week 6 Power Rankings Roundup: Race for No. 1 Pick Starting to Form

The Miami Dolphins remained winless with their loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, a game that wasn't as close as the 31-24 final score might have suggested, and they now stand as one of three teams with an 0-5 record.

If we're not already there, it won't be long before we start focusing on the 2027 NFL draft and more specifically exactly how high the Dolphins' first-round pick will end up being.

Based on the latest round of national media power rankings, they'll have stiff competition for the No. 1 overall pick from the Tennessee Titans.

The Dolphins came in at 31st in the Week 6 power rankings among our 10 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 31.2 compared to 31.5 for the AFC South team.

For a second consecutive week, the Dolphins did get a ranking as high as 29th, that coming from Nick Shook of NFL.com.

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 and that race for the No. 1 overall pick.

The Dolphins and Titans were joined at 0-5 this past weekend by the Los Angeles Chargers after their loss against the Denver Broncos.

While the Dolphins have a bye this weekend, the Chargers will face the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and the Titans will face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

EXAMINING THE OUTLOOK FOR THE WINLESS TEAMS

Of the three teams at 0-5, the Chargers obviously are the big surprise considering they went into the season after back-to-back 11-win seasons, while Tennessee won three games each of the previous two seasons.

The Chargers look highly dysfunctional on offense in their first year with Mike McDaniel as their coordinator and now they're dealing with a rash of injuries that had them starting four rookies plus former Dolphins guard Cole Strange against Denver.

Working against the Chargers also is a brutal schedule. After their game at Kansas City, the Chargers will return from their bye to face the Rams, Texans (who probably are on their way to a rebound) and Baltimore, with games against the 49ers, Chiefs and Broncos over the last month.

Tennessee's bigger problem is the team just doesn't look much better than either of the previous two seasons, even if the Titans' schedule is a lot more manageable than that of either the Chargers or Dolphins. After Indy, Tennessee has a home game against Cleveland, followed by a road game against Cincinnati.

THE DOLPHINS IN WEEK 6 NATIONAL POWER RANKINGS

The Sporting News (Vinnie Iyer)

Rank: 30 Previous: 31

Analysis: The Dolphins cannot blame their continued skid on the absence of running back De'Von Achane. Another backfield star has been born, helped by Malik Willis, as Ollie Gordon II has turned 27 carries for 188 yards and 2 TDs the past two games. Gordon will help them finish an upset soon after one-possession losses to the Vikings and Bengals.

CBS Sports (Pete Prisco)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: They stay in their spot as they lost to the Bengals. The question is will they win a game.

USA Today (Nate Davis)

Rank: 31 Previous: 32

Analysis: They're terrible and will remain that way for the duration of this season. But give them credit for fighting for first-year coach Jeff Hafley, which (unexpectedly) gets them out of the power rankings basement.

FOX Sports (Ralph Vacchiano)

Rank: 31 Previous: 31

Analysis: The Dolphins head into their bye week 0-5, which is exactly what everyone expected. Head coach Jeff Hafley’s defense has been OK, but they’re one of the worst offenses in the league and there isn’t a quarterback anywhere playing as poorly as Malik Willis. Bright sides? There are a few. RB Ollie Gordon has 188 yards and two TDs in two starts since they lost De’Von Achane. And on Sunday, they scored a season-high 24 points and out-gained the explosive Bengals 331 yards to 307. Want another one? When they come out of the bye, they get the Jets twice in a month span, which might be their only two chances for wins this season.

NFL.com (Nick Shook)

Rank: 29 Previous: 29

Analysis: First, the good: RB Ollie Gordon II has legitimate juice. The young playmakers out wide (plus TE Greg Dulcich) are fun to watch. LB Jacob Rodriguez is a stud who should be a front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Now, the bad: QB Malik Willis learned a hard lesson about not playing outside of his limits. Miami’s defensive weaknesses were still evident when Joe Burrow hit big plays and led steady scoring marches. The Dolphins are still winless. But for another week, they competed and didn’t make a ton of mistakes that would suggest a team headed into the abyss. That first win will come eventually.

The Athletic (Chad Graff and Josh Kendall)

Rank: 31 Previous: 31

Analysis: Hey, at least they fight! That’s more than can be said about the only team behind them in the rankings. The Dolphins don’t have much talent, but one week after keeping it close against the undefeated Vikings, they at least hung around with Cincinnati.

ESPN

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis (on the biggest issue on defense, rushing the passer): It took the Dolphins until the first snap of their fourth game of the season to record their first sack; they have the NFL's second-worst sack rate. Their issues pressuring opposing quarterbacks has compounded into easy completions -- Miami ranks last in both opposing QBR and completion percentage. Going into the season, the Dolphins were thin at pass rusher behind Chop Robinson, but the 2024 first-round pick also started slow. With one of the NFL's youngest secondaries, Miami will continue to struggle against the pass until it can impact opposing QBs more consistently. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Pro Football Talk (Mike Florio)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: 32. Maybe Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley should have waited a year.

Sports Illustrated (Conor Orr)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: This week’s installment of Jacob Rodriguez corner: He’s leading the league in tackles but he just wants a W. How do you not love this guy?

Yahoo Sports (Frank Schwab)

Rank: 32 Previous: 32

Analysis: The good news for the Dolphins is they won't lose in Week 6. They have a bye. Good for the Dolphins to lose by only seven points against the Bengals on Sunday, but the true story of the game was a 28-10 deficit after three quarters. The Dolphins have trailed by at least 14 points in four of five games. There are two main goals after the bye: getting one win to avoid the 0-17 questions, and finding out if Malik Willis can be the quarterback of the future. A decision in the 2027 NFL Draft looms. Willis was 1-for-7 passing for 22 yards with a minute to go in the first half Sunday. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. It wasn't good enough, and garbage-time stats don't fix that. Of 32 qualified quarterbacks he's 30th in adjusted EPA (expected points added) per play and 29th in success rate. It is hard to judge Willis fairly because there's not much talent around him, but he has to prove he can elevate his teammates.

THE MIAMI DOLPHINS ON SI WEEK 5 POWER RANKINGS

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

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