Dolphins 2023 Week 15 Power Rankings Roundup

The Monday night collapse clearly wasn't a good look for the Miami Dolphins and that was reflected in their standing in national power rankings, but their drop wasn't significant.

The Dolphins dropped up an average of exactly one spot in our weekly survey of 12 national outlets — CBS Sports, NFL.com, Pro Football Network, The Sporting News, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, The 33rd Team, Touchdown Wire, The Score, Yahoo and Pro Football Talk — after their 28-27 loss against the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Dolphins' average ranking is 5.8, down from 4.8, with their ranking ranging from 5 to 7, with 5 now their most frequent spot. The Dolphins stayed in the same spot for four of the 12 outlets and their biggest drop came from Pro Football Network, which moved them from 2 to 5.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 12 power rankings spots, along with the commentary associated with it:

CBS Sports

Ranking: 5 Previous: 4

Analysis: That was an inexcusable showing against the Titans. There is no way they should blow a 14-point lead late.

NFL.com

Ranking: 5 Previous: 5

Analysis: For months, we've complained about the Dolphins not beating any quality teams. Now we can ding them for their stunning home loss to the Titans, who entered Monday with an 0-6 road record. Tyreek Hill's ankle injury kept him off the field for a large chunk of the game, and Miami also lost C Connor Williams to a knee issue. But there's no excuse for losing to Tennessee after holding a 14-point lead with three minutes to go at home. The Dolphins' offense was just in a funk most of the night, factoring in the two gift touchdowns the Titans gave them via a muffed punt and a fumble. A Miami fumble and two field goals led to a 2-for-5 red-zone night, and the Dolphins had another field goal blocked. Then the Fins' defense, which had been so good all night, cracked on the final two drives, allowing Will Levis to march the Titans 75 and 64 yards to outscore Miami 15-0 in the final 160 seconds. It was just an ugly, ugly loss and a huge blow to the Dolphins' chances of earning the top seed.

Touchdown Wire

Ranking: 7 Previous: 6

Analysis: Well that was weird. I still can’t quite figure out how the Dolphins blew a 14-point lead with under three minutes to play, but they sure did. And when you look at the respective schedules of the Dolphins and Bills, the Week 18 matchup between the two teams could be for the division.

The Score

Ranking: 7 Previous: 6

Analysis: Monday night's defeat to the Titans proved the Dolphins are a completely different team without Tyreek Hill. Tua Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel, and the rest of Miami have to be kicking themselves after squandering a huge opportunity.

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 7 Previous: 7

Analysis: A tough loss for so many reasons. The Dolphins lost on Monday as two-touchdown favorites. Tyreek Hill was not healthy enough to be on the field for the final drive. The Dolphins were spotted three turnovers and still lost. Obviously, the long-term health of Hill is the big takeaway here. I’m not alone in thinking that—the further away he is from being 100%, the further away Miami’s offense is from being the ball of knives that ran through the NFL over the first half of the season. A brutal road lies ahead for the Dolphins regardless.

The 33rd Team

Ranking: 5 Previous: 5

Analysis: The Miami Dolphins suffered a bizarre loss to Tennessee on Monday night, bringing their three-game winning streak to a close. Injuries played a role in that defeat, but ultimately, Miami blew a 14-point lead with less than three minutes to go. After this week’s matchup with the Jets, the Dolphins close the season against three top-10 teams. The only reason the Dolphins didn’t slide in our rankings is because five teams in last week’s top 10 lost last week.

Pro Football Network

Ranking: 5 Previous: 2

Analysis: What an absolute disaster. Miami entered Monday night as a 14-point favorite over the Titans, who appeared to be playing out the string on a lost season. Everything appeared to be going the Dolphins’ way for a while. They averted disaster when wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle avoided serious injury and held a 14-point lead with fewer than three minutes remaining. Miami somehow coughed up that lead to Will Levis and Co., and it’s difficult to overstate how much Monday’s loss will hinder the club’s chances at the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Dolphins are now a game behind the 10-3 Baltimore Ravens, who they’ll face in Week 17.

The Sporting News

Ranking: 5 Previous: 4

Analysis: The Dolphins had one more blowup game with their big-play offense against the Titans on Monday night, but they still lost that game in shocking fashion with Tyreek Hill injured and then contained and still need to prove they can beat the better, winning teams with reasonable defenses. The Cowboys, Ravens and Bills will answer that question in the final three games.

USA Today

Ranking: 6 Previous: 6

Analysis: They haven't been the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed since Dan Marino and Co. managed it in 1984. That's likely to continue after Monday night's meltdown against Tennessee, the Fins looking lost without WR Tyreek Hill.

The Athletic

Ranking: 7 Previous: 4

Yahoo

Ranking: 6 Previous: 5

Analysis: The Dolphins took a 14-point lead on a bad Titans team, against a rookie quarterback at home, with less than five minutes left. There's no other way to say it: What a choke job by the Dolphins. Miami again looks like a team that is good but not good enough to be a real contender this season.

Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 5 Previous: 4

Analysis: Tyreek’s case for MVP was strengthened by how the offense played after his injury.