Dolphins 2025 Week 4 Power Rankings Roundup

How the national media stacks the Miami Dolphins following their disappointing 0-3 start

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Elijah Moore (18) runs against Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins' respectable — and, to many, surprising — showing at Buffalo last Thursday night didn't produce a victory, but it did improve the team's standing in the national power rankings.

Slightly.

In our weekly survey of nine national outlets — Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, NFL.com, The Athletic, ESPN, The Ringer, USA Today and The Sporting News — the Dolphins moved up to an average ranking of 29.5, slightly better than their post-Week 2 average of 30.2.

For a second consecutive week, no outlet had the Dolphins higher than 26th. But this time only one outlet (The Sporting News) had Miami dead last at 32nd.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' nine power rankings spots heading into Week 4 of the 2025 regular season, along with the commentary associated with it:

THE DOLPHINS IN NATIONAL POWER RANKINGS

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 31
Last week: 31

Analysis: People will have big takes on this. I continue to view Mike McDaniel as a national treasure. 

Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 30
Last week: 32

Analysis: The next six games will determine many things in Miami.

CBS Sports

Ranking: 29
Last week: 27

Analysis: They showed some fight against the Bills, which is a good sign for Mike McDaniel. But they can't lose to the Jets at home this week -- or heads might roll.

NFL.com

Ranking: 31
Last week: 32

Analysis: The Dolphins had a chance to beat the Billslast week. They made a few crucial mistakes on offense (the late INT), defense (penalties, poor tackling) and special teams (Zach Sieler’s critical penalty), and that was that. The 0-3 Dolphins have decades of history flying in their face as far as salvaging the season is concerned, but the improved effort and offensive execution is at least a starting point. I’d personally love to see more of Ollie Gordon II, and also more second- and third-level shots, please.Tua Tagovailoa was throwing short most of the night, and the Bills were squatting on everything. We know the Fins have explosive weapons; now they just need to be featured more readily. If the defense can’t make major improvements fast, Miami is likely going to be in a few shootouts.

The Ringer

Ranking: 26
Last week: 26

Analysis: The Dolphins aren’t tough enough in the trenches on either side of the ball, their defense misses entirely too many tackles in space, and this passing game can’t find a spark despite the speed it boasts at almost every position. Once the Bills settled into the game after halftime, it was pretty clear which team was in control. Still, the Dolphins looked competent and scrappy at times—which is exactly why they’re so frustrating. This offense has been pretty efficient on a down-to-down basis, but there’s no margin for error with this defense. Now, at 0-3, you have to wonder how much fight this team will have moving forward.

USA Today

Ranking: 29
Last week: 32

Analysis: They're in the midst of an 11-day interlude between games after putting up a fight in Buffalo last Thursday. With the Jets,Panthersand Browns among their next four opponents, hardly time to throw in the towel.

The Sporting News

Ranking: 32
Last week: 32

Analysis: The Dolphins found a little more offensive pop around Tua Tagovailoa but what he produces isn't good enough to make up for major defensive deficiencies, which will keep showing up even vs. lesser offenses.

The Athletic

Ranking: 31
Last week: 32

Analysis on QB confidence (quickly crumbling): For a while, Mike McDaniel seemed like the perfect coach for Tua Tagovailoa. He instilled confidence in the quarterback and leaned into Tagovailoa’s ability to get the ball out quickly. But it has been a disaster this season. Tagovailoa has thrown a turnover-worthy pass on 6.3 percent of his throws, per PFF, easily the highest mark of his career. Oh, and his cap hit next season is $56.4 million.

ESPN

Ranking: 29
Last week: 28

Analysis on the biggest issue on defense (forcing turnovers): The Dolphins rank last in the league in turnover differential, mostly because their defense has not had a takeaway yet this season. This was also an issue for Miami last season, but coach Mike McDaniel believes the team will right the ship as it progresses as a whole. "Our takeaways will improve as our collective football improves," he said. "It's not good enough. ... We've certainly spent the weekend trying to figure out how to get that monumental win-loss indicator in our favor."

THE DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKINGS

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the New York Jets, have an average ranking of 28.1, with a high of 27 and a low of 30.