Power Rankings Roundup: What's the National View of the Dolphins?

The Miami Dolphins no longer are being viewed among the dregs of the NFL after their second consecutive victory, but they remain a bottom-third team in the eyes on those national folks who doing power rankings.

The Dolphins averaged a ranking position of 22.1 among the nine national outlets we regularly feature following their 16-13 overtime victory against the Washington Commanders in Spain on Sunday.

The Dolphins' rankings range from a high of 20 to a low of 25, with 22 by far the most common landing spot.

As for the conversation around the Dolphins, it continues to center around head coach Mike McDaniel and his job status.

Here's the breakdown of those nine national outlets, along with the accompanying analysis:

THE DOLPHINS IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA POWER RANKINGS

MMQB — 20

Analysis: Column on Mike McDaniel, who could very well save his job with an end-of-season run that leaves his new GM with little choice.

CBS — 23

Analysis: The Dolphins have won two straight, and it might be the start of saving Mike McDaniel's job. The schedule isn't daunting after their bye either.

USA Today — 25

Analysis: They sure were feeling themselves Sunday in Spain after Mike McDaniel and Co. did just about everything possible to hand the depleted Commanders a win.

The Sporting News — 22

Analysis: The Dolphins didn't have the same kind of situational scoring offense in Madrid, but Tua Tagovailoa and De'Von Achane came through to keep the heat off Mike McDaniel.

ESPN — 22

Analysis on player who's under the most pressure: The 2024 season did not go smoothly for Tagovailoa after he signed a franchise-record extension that July, and 2025 has been rocky as well. Tagovailoa leads the NFL with 13 interceptions, needing one more to match his career high of 14 from the 2023 season. His passing numbers are more on par with his game-managing 2021 season rather than 2023, when he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards. That wouldn't have been bad if he didn't represent a $56.4 million cap hit in 2026. Tagovailoa is in little danger of losing his starting job this season, but in a division with two MVP-caliber quarterbacks, his play must improve for the Dolphins to keep from falling far behind their AFC East rivals.

Yahoo — 22

Analysis: This Dolphins surge is remarkable. At 1-6 they were undeniably one of the NFL’s worst teams. Since then they’ve won three of four and there are some winnable games coming up. Maybe Mike McDaniel can survive for another season, after all.

The Ringer — 21

Analysis: Head coach Mike McDaniel is coaching for his job right now, whether that’s in Miami or elsewhere. It’s no surprise, then, that his team is playing hard, nor should it be a shock that the Dolphins are racking up wins against other bad opponents. With games against the Saints, Jets, and Bengals coming up, don’t be surprised if this team makes a late surge—just don’t forget what you saw in the first half of the year.

NFL.com — 22

Analysis: Is Mike McDaniel saving his job? There's a 2024 feel to the script here, with the Dolphins falling into a pretty deep hole to start the season, then reviving themselves with a run of success, including three wins in their past four games. Miami currently has a 1% chance of making the playoffs, so let's not get too excited; then again, that number looked to be (less than) zero not long ago. The best thing the Dolphins have going for them is that they play the Saints and Jets after their Week 12 bye and could be 6-7 heading into a Monday Night Football showdown with the Steelers. Yes, they easily could have been held to a tie in Madrid, but wilder things have happened than Miami potentially coming back for a postseason spot -- and the-combo looks like a pretty good one heading into winter.

Pro Football Talk — 22

Analysis: Where was this version of the team before the G.M. was fired?

THE DOLPHINS IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA POWER RANKINGS

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