Dolphins Week 7 Power Rankings Roundup

The Miami Dolphins' losing streak extended to three games with their 24-16 loss against the Minnesota Vikings, but the extenuating circumstances — having a different quarterback start and finish the game in all those games — hit the national media differently when it comes to power rankings.

As a result, the Dolphins have a wide range of rankings heading into the Week 7, from a high of 8 and a low of 23.

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 13.6 among the 32 NFL teams, down from their average of 11.8 after Week 5.

But, remarkably, the Dolphins actually moved up in two national rankings (SI and USA Today), while remaining in the same spot in the Yahoo rankings.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 10 power rankings spots, along with the commentary associated with it:

CBS Sports

Ranking: 16 Previous: 10

Analysis: The quarterback mess has really impacted this team. They have lost three straight games as they wait for Tua Tagovailoa to get back under center this week.

NFL.com

Ranking: 23 Previous: 18

Analysis: In a way, it feels like the 2022 Miami Dolphins had their season paused the moment Tua Tagovailoa's helmet smacked the turf on that ugly Thursday night in Cincinnati. At that moment, Miami was 3-0 and one of the biggest stories of a young season. Three weeks (and losses) later, the Dolphins still haven't had a quarterback who was able to finish a game he started. "I'm going to demand that the team does not point at [QB injuries] to be a reason for what's happened or a reason for the loss," Mike McDaniel said after a 24-16 setback to the Vikings. "I think that's the easy thing to do." Tua cleared concussion protocol last week and is expected to be ready to return on Sunday Night Football against the Steelers. The Dolphins are ready to hit play on their season.

The Athletic

Ranking: 18 Previous: 15

Analysis: It’s never as simple as it looks from the outside, and the quarterback carousel is an extenuating factor, but it sure seems as if the league has simply decided not to bother playing man coverage against the speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. According to TruMedia, the Dolphins rank No. 1 in EPA per play (0.88) against man coverage and 22nd in EPA per play (-0.01) against zone, which accounts for the greatest disparity in the league.

Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 17 Previous: 14

Analysis: 17. Dolphins (3-3; No. 14): It’s Tua time, just in time.

Yahoo Sports

Ranking: 10 Previous: 10

Analysis: Losing your starting quarterback in the first half of three straight games has to be a record. Rookie head coach Mike McDaniel doesn't want to use the injuries as an excuse, but it's a good one. The Dolphins have played hard despite the bad injury luck at QB, and perhaps Miami can pick up right where it left off when Tua Tagovailoa makes his expected return in Week 7.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 8 Previous: 9

Analysis: At this point, our hope is that Tua Tagovailoa feels O.K. Whatever happens after that is a complimentary dessert with the entree. In the meantime, Mike McDaniel’s club has still been challenging for opposing teams, if a little less potent with the revolving door of quarterbacks.

ESPN

Ranking: 17 Previous: 12

Analysis (on the one thing ESPN and meda got wrong about the team): There was a lot of outside skepticism whether or not Tua Tagovailoa could power an offense that featured Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Instead, he led the NFL in QBR through the first three weeks of the season and ranked second in passing yards. Most importantly, the Dolphins started 3-0. He's missed the past two and a half games and their offensive efficiency has plummeted; the Dolphins ranked second in the league in expected points added in Weeks 1-3 -- in Weeks 4-6, that ranking has dropped to 28th. Contrary to popular belief entering the season, this team is quantifiably better with Tagovailoa under center. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

The Ringer

Ranking: 6 Previous: 7

Analysis: There are carnival rides with fewer twists, turns, highs, and lows than the Dolphins’ quarterback room this season. Among the 31 signal callers with 120 or more dropbacks through Week 6, Tua Tagovailoa ranks third in EPA per dropback (0.26), behind only Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. But Tagovailoa has only played in four of the team’s six games and missed time due to injury in two of his four starts. Backups Teddy Bridgewater and seventh-round rookie Skylar Thompson have filled in sporadically while dealing with injuries of their own over the last three weeks, and the Dolphins have lost all three games. But they’re still moving the ball amidst the quarterback carousel. In weeks 4-6, Miami ranked ninth in yards per game (377) and sixth in passing yards per game (279). That’s a proverbial tip of the cap to first-year head coach Mike McDaniel and his high-flying receiver duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who rank first and fifth in yards per route run, respectively. McDaniel and the team’s speed at receiver isn’t going anywhere regardless of who’s under center in South Florida.fense unsurprisingly ran out of gas in the final 15 minutes of the 40-17 loss.

The Sporting News

Ranking: 18 Previous: 12

Analysis: The Dolphins have gone from 3-0 to 3-3 in a blink, and it goes beyond their injury-marred revolving door at quarterback. Their defense is starting to be exposed with shaky coverage and giving up chunk runs. They are trending to an anomalous freefall out of the playoffs.

USA Today

Ranking: 10 Previous: 12

Analysis: 10. Dolphins (12): We should be spared many additional Griddy celebrations from Mike Gesicki given QB Tua Tagovailoa, who rarely targets the tight end, is due back this Sunday night..

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.