Dolphins Week 11 Power Rankings Roundup

How the national media stacks the Miami Dolphins following their 23-15 victory against the Los Angeles Rams.

Miami Dolphins place kicker Jason Sanders (7) kicks a 50-yard field goal out of the hold of punter Jake Bailey (16) against the Los Angeles Ramsin the second half at SoFi Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins ended their three-game losing streak with a solid all-around performance on Monday night, defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 23-15, at SoFi Stadium.

The victory improved the Dolphins' record to 3-6 and renewed their optimism about the ability to make a second-half playoff push; it also impressed voters for power rankings.

Based on our survey of NFL power rankings from ten national outlets — Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, NFL.com, The Ringer, USA Today, Pro Football Network, The Athletic, Yahoo! Sports, and Bleacher Report — the Dolphins moved up an average of more than four spots after the victory against the Rams.

The Dolphins' average ranking in the ten outlets went from 23.8 to 19.7, with a high of 17 and 23 being the low. The Dolphins moved up an eye-opening seven spots in the rankings from The Athletic.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' ten power rankings spots heading into Week 11 of the 2024 regular season, along with the associated commentary.

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MIAMI DOLPHINS POWER RANKINGS

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 23

Last Week: 24

Analysis: A good opportunity for Miami to break up the losing streak regardless of an utter lack of style points. We've become so accustomed to what this Mike McDaniel offense can look like that this Monday night slog was a little hard to digest. Tua Tagovailoa turned the ball over, swung his head right into the thick of an interception return, and nearly had an additional pick in this one. Thankfully, the Rams' offensive struggles allowed for some breathing room.  

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Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 20

Last Week: 25

Analysis: In past years, they've started fast and then limped to the finish line. Can they flip the script this year?

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CBS Sports

Ranking: 20

Last Week: 23

Analysis: That was a season-saving victory against the Rams. The defense came up big in that game. They are still alive.

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NFL.com

Ranking: 20

Last Week: 24

Analysis: The offense went through long spells of ineffectiveness Monday night, but the Dolphins held the Rams to five field goals, keeping them out of the end zone in a 23-15 road win. The defense did its best early, forcing two turnovers and stifling Los Angeles' passing game before hanging on late. The return of Zach Sieler lifted the unit, and Chop Robinson gave them some quality snaps. And even with a few lulls, the Dolphins hit just enough big plays to keep the Rams at arm's distance. Miami still needs to get Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle the ball more than nine times combined. Can we get my man Malik Washington some more touches, please? With two winnable contests upcoming, the Dolphins are still alive. They probably need to win all the toss-up games and two out of three against the Packers, Texans, and 49ers. Likely? No. Doable? Maybe.

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The Ringer

Ranking: 20

Last Week: 24

Analysis: It's a shame that Miami lost its grip on the season while Tua Tagovailoa was out with a concussion. Over the last three games, Miami has found an offensive rhythm missing at the start of the season. Tagovailoa has seemingly returned to the game with a better sense of when and how to escape pressure, and he's found success by keeping his throws short and mainly out of harm's way. While Miami did enough to beat the Rams on Monday night, there are defenses left on the schedule that will sit on these quick throws and force Tagovailoa to play outside of his comfort zone.

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USA Today Sports

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 23

Analysis: Though certainly modest by his standards, WR3 Odell Beckham, Jr. is slowly integrating into this offense, snaring all five of his targets the past two games for a team suddenly sniffing the fringes of the wild-card race.

Pro Football Network

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Ranking: 17

Last Week: 25

Analysis: The Miami Dolphins' third win of the season and the first since the start of October was very timely for their playoff hopes. Miami's offensive number here is a bit misleading because, with Tua Tagovailoa, this is a top-10 unit. Without him, though, it's the bottom three, if not the worst in the league. The Dolphins' defense got some key pieces back in Week 10, and it showed, restricting the Rams to just 15 points. Miami now needs to take advantage of a relatively soft remaining schedule to try and get as close to 10 wins as it can. Five very winnable games are left on the schedule, and there are three in which they should at least be competitive.

The Athletic

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Ranking: 20

Last Week: 27

Analysis: By the numbers, Tua Tagovailoa is playing great. He is eighth in EPA per dropback (.14), completing more than 70 percent of his passes. However, Monday night's win, in which he was 20-for-28 for 207 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, improved his record as a starter this season to just 2-3. Granted, those losses came to Buffalo (twice) and Arizona, but there's still something missing from this offense, and Tagovailoa is the player most responsible for getting that fixed.

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Yahoo! Sports

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 24

Analysis: Miami made a great effort from its defense on Monday night. The Dolphins could be a good team for the rest of the season if they stay healthy. But they'll need to be almost perfect for it to result in a playoff spot.

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Bleacher Report

Ranking: 21

Last Week: 23

Analysis: The Miami Dolphins came into the 2024 season with playoff aspirations. They entered Week 10 with two wins and the slimmest hopes of realizing those aspirations. However, despite a frustrating start to the season, Miami head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters ahead of Monday night's tilt with the Rams that he still believes that the Dolphins can put together a run and get back in the postseason conversation.

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DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKING

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders, has an average ranking of 29.5, with a high of 25 and a low of 32 (by three outlets).