Dolphins Week 12 Power Rankings Roundup

How the national media stacks the Miami Dolphins following their 34-19 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) breaks free for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins took care of business when they handled the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, giving them back-to-back victories for the first time this season.

The victory improved the Dolphins' record to 4-6 and kept their momentum going toward being able to make a second-half push for a playoff spot, but it didn't seem to impress those who put together their power rankings.

Based on our survey of NFL power rankings from 10 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 only half a spot after their 34-19 victory against the Raiders.

The Dolphins' average ranking in the 10 outlets went from 19.7 to 19.2, with a high of 16 (USA Today) and 23 (SI) being the low. The Dolphins stayed in the same spot in three different rankings and actually dropped a spot in two others.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 10 power rankings spots heading into Week 12 of the 2024 regular season, along with the associated commentary.

MIAMI DOLPHINS POWER RANKINGS

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 23

Last Week: 23

Analysis: The Dolphins, along with the Colts and 49ers, all sit between a 23% and 29% chance of reaching the postseason according toThe New York Times’s postseason prediction model. One of these teams is going to make the playoffs, and while I don’t know if Miami is capable I will say this: Jalen Ramsey played the final downs of this game like it was the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. If anybody on this team has surrendered, I haven’t seen it yet. 

Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 19

Last Week: 20

Analysis: 19. Dolphins (No. 20; 4-6): There’s a realistic path to 9-8. Will that be good enough to get in?

CBS Sports

Ranking: 21

Last Week: 20

Analysis: They are far from done in the race to get a playoff spot. Two straight victories over the Rams and Raiders have them alive.

NFL.com

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 20

Analysis: The Dolphins didn't expand their lead over the Raiders beyond one possession until there was less than five minutes left in the third quarter, so let's not gettooexcited. Still, finishing with a season-high 34 points -- thanks to touchdowns scored on four straight second-half possessions, plus a late field goal -- was a positive development. Miami has taken too long to get the offense cranked up in the four games since Tua Tagovailoa returned to the lineup, with four TDs and five field goals before halftime in that span and eight TDs and four field goals after. The playoffs remain a stretch, and the Bills have all but clinched the AFC East race, but Miami can still mount a run, with two games left against the Jets, plus contests with the Patriots and Browns. If the Fins can keep getting the ball in the hands of their playmakers, with increased roles for Tyreek Hill and De'Von Achane, they can make things interesting.

The Ringer

Ranking: 20

Last Week: 20

Analysis: Miami’s offense has taken a bit of a different form during the team’s two-game win streak, relying less on a quick-strike play-action passing game and more on checkdowns in order to beat the soft zones defenses play against them. That comes at the expense of explosive plays, and we haven’t seen much production from receiver Jaylen Waddle lately. But QB Tua Tagovailoa is playing a cleaner and safer game as a passer now, so it feels like an OK trade-off for now. Tagovailoa is still having a hard time handling pressure. He’s taken seven sacks since returning to the lineup three weeks ago, and he still can’t break loose when the pocket collapses. Miami must prioritize fixing its offensive line issues this offseason, or else this offense will continue to be stuck in the same spot it’s been in all season.

USA Today Sports

Ranking: 16

Last Week: 18

Analysis: QB Tua Tagovailoa has played awfully well since returning from his latest concussion, completing 77% of his passes for 960 yards with seven TDs and one INT. His passer rating in that four-game stretch is 112.2. A Fins club that has yet to finish with a surge under HC Mike McDaniel needs to continue swimming against the tide, though a forgiving schedule should help.

Pro Football Network

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 17

Analysis: The Miami Dolphins are keeping themselves in the playoff picture, but they are lacking the complete performances on both sides of the ball that you would like to see in a true playoff contender. The offense was good against the Raiders, but the defense struggled at times, which will raise concerns. Miami has a chance to try and put together a complete game against the Patriots this week and creep closer to .500. The Dolphins have played an easy schedule to this point, and it does get tougher from here. They realistically need to win five and potentially six of their remaining games. They’ll be expected to beat the Patriots, Jets (twice), and Browns but will need to back it up with at least one win against the 49ers, Packers, or Texans.

The Athletic

Ranking: 21

Last Week: 20

Analysis: The Dolphins already are nearly five games behind Buffalo in the division race, but they still have a 28 percent chance to make the playoffs, according toThe Athletic’s projections. No one really wants to see Miami if it does make the playoffs because of its explosive ability. The Dolphins are top 10 in explosive play rate (12.1 percent) despite not having starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for half the season. Mike McDaniel is now 24-20 in three seasons. The only reason there’s any angst in Miami is how bad this team looked without Tagovailoa.

Yahoo! Sports

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 18

Analysis: Tyreek Hill had a touchdown Sunday but only 61 yards. He has failed to record a 20-yard catch in six of 10 games. His yards per game is down from 112.4 last season to 52.3 this season. Some of that was QB play when Tua Tagovailoa was out, but that’s not the whole explanation.

Bleacher Report

Ranking: 20

Last Week: 21

Analysis: The Miami Dolphins aren't dead yet. After a 2-6 start marred by injuries and offensive struggles, the Dolphins have peeled off consecutive wins for the first time this season. The Dolphins have momentum, but they also have precious little margin for error. With two games over the next three weeks against AFC East tomato cans, there's a decent chance that Miami will hit the stretch run with a .500 record, putting it back in the wild-card hunt.

DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKING

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the New England Patriots, has an average ranking of 25.4, with a high of 22 and a low of 29.