Dolphins 2023 Week 3 Power Rankings Roundup

With their 24-17 victory against the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins stand as one of nine 2-0 teams after the first two weeks of the NFL. More impressively, they are joined by only the San Francisco 49ers in getting those two wins on the road.

The Dolphins clearly, and with good reason, are being viewed as one of the top teams in the NFL at the momentt, as evidenced by their average ranking of 5.9 among the 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 FOX Sports — we regularly examine for our survey.

The Dolphins' ranking ranges from second (The Athletic) to a low of sixth (by five different outlets. The Dolphins are fifth or sixth in nine of the 12 rankings. The biggest jupmp after the Week 2 victory against New England came from The 33rd Team, which moved the Dolphins from 10th to fifth.

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

CBS Sports

Ranking: 6 Previous: 8

Analysis: The offense was patient against the Patriots, which is a good sign. But the best thing about that game was the defense. It rebounded in a big way.

NFL.com

Ranking: 5 Previous: 5

Analysis: They’re 2-0, with nine home games remaining. Each of the first two contests required late gut checks. The fourth-quarter interception against the Patriots was regrettable, and there were a few underthrows, but Tua Tagovailoa played a pretty darned composed game. He knew he’d have to be patient and take his second and third options, and he routinely did that. Add in the Dolphins’ terrific yards after first contact -- especially via Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Waddle -- and this offense looks tough to deal with. Mike McDaniel schemed up a really nice game against the Patriots, as did Vic Fangio defensively. The special-teams errors added a few items to the clean-up list, but Miami once more impressed against a conference opponent away from home.

Touchdown Wire

Ranking: 6 Previous: 5

Analysis: You remember that scene in The Longest Yard where Unger is telling the guards about Nelly’s character Earl Megget and he says “He makes fast people look not fast?” That’s everyone on the Dolphins’ offense. Tyreek Hill was held mostly in check, but Jaylen Waddle had a huge night, and Raheem Mostert ran all over the Patriots’ defense. The Olympic track team Dolphins are going to be a problem all season, and are right in the thick of things in terms of being one of the league’s best teams.

The Score

Ranking: 4 Previous: 5

Analysis: The first weeks proved what we already expected before the season: The Dolphins can match up against any team if healthy.

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 5 Previous: 7

Analysis: The Dolphins don’t lose to the Patriots, but they do look a little less good against the Patriots. Ultimately, who cares? Bill Belichick threw all kinds of delayed action at Tua Tagovailoa and it seemed to work for a time—like that Kyle Dugger fake blitz that resulted in a tipped pass, which was a similar but different tactic that Belichick used last year to deter Tagovailoa from throwing to the motion receivers—but the Dolphins are simply too powerful now. Mike McDaniel continues to hoard speed like a space-aged Al Davis, but he’s putting it to good use.

The 33rd Team

Ranking: 5 Previous: 10

Analysis: The Miami Dolphins’ supremely talented passing attack carried them to victory on opening day. On Sunday night, it was their defense and running game that led them to victory in New England. Complete teams that can win games in multiple ways tend to go far in the NFL playoffs. The Dolphins look like one of those teams.

Pro Football Network

Ranking: 6 Previous: 5

Analysis: The Miami Dolphins offense was ridiculously explosive against the Chargers, but their Sunday Night Football test against the New England Patriots was a better barometer for just how high their ceiling could be. We know what this offense can be. We saw it a season ago when Tua Tagovailoa was healthy. Now, what can this defense accomplish under Vic Fangio? They kept everything in front of them against New England, and they looked much better against the run as well. But New England doesn’t necessarily boast elite weaponry. The Miami offense is so much to handle. They felt like they were dominating the Patriots but could barely manage leaving Foxborough with the win. Sometimes, football is weird like that.

The Sporting News

Ranking: 5 Previous: 7

Analysis: The Dolphins' offense is becoming like the Eagles', capable of beating teams with big passing or running, mixing in plenty of speed. Mike McDaniel is making his case for coach of the year already with two impressive road wins.

USA Today

Ranking: 6 Previous: 10

Analysis: QB Tua Tagovailoa wouldn't mind playing New England every week, improving to 5-0 against Bill Belichick. But consider how much better Miami, with two road wins in the bank, can get when it gets players like LT Terron Armstead, OLB Jaelan Phillips and maybe even CB Jalen Ramsey back.

The Athletic

Ranking: 2 Previous: 3

Analysis: After two games, the Dolphins lead the NFL in yards per game (462.5) and yards per play (7.3, which is a full yard more than second place), and one of those games was against Bill Belichick. Opponents are trying to disrupt quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He has been blitzed on 30.8 percent of his dropbacks, which is the seventh-highest rate among starters, but Tagovailoa has been sacked just once. That’s because his average time to throw (2.32 seconds) is the second lowest in the league. We think Mike McDaniel might know what he’s doing.

Yahoo

Ranking: 6 Previous: 8

Analysis: Tua Tagovailoa is the new betting favorite for NFL MVP. That spot means very little after just two weeks, but Tagovailoa deserves it. He has played very well since the start of last season. It seems people are finally coming around to him being an elite player.

FOX Sports

Ranking: 3 Previous: 5

Analysis: Tua Tagovailoa has the Dolphins offense clicking on all cylinders. With a world-class track team on their perimeter, the Dolphins overwhelm opponents with their speed and explosiveness.

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