Dolphins Week 13 Power Rankings Roundup

How the national media stacks the Miami Dolphins following their 34-15 victory against the New England Patriots

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) celebrates with wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins again took care of business when they handled the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, giving them their first three-game winning streak of the season.

The victory improved the Dolphins' record to 5-6 and kept their momentum toward making a second-half push for a playoff spot, but some national analysts still want to see them deliver that signature victory before fully jumping on board.

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 three spots their 34-15 victory against the Patriots.

The Dolphins' average ranking in the 10 outlets went from 19.2 to 16.2, with a high of 12 (Sports Illustrated) and 18 being the low.

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: 12

Last Week: 23

Analysis: Chop Robinson was an absolute menace in this game and by the midway point of the first quarter, the Patriots were straining to find ways to contain him. Robinson was subject to a lot of chips and double teams. His first sack of the game in the second quarter featured him breezing straight through two intended blockers. 

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Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 19

Analysis: The shell-game offense won’t travel to the Frozen Tundra.

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CBS Sports

Ranking: 15

Last Week: 21

Analysis: Tua Tagovailoa has been outstanding since coming back. Now they have to end the narrative that they can't beat teams in the cold when they go to Green Bay Thanksgiving night.

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NFL.com

Ranking: 16

Last Week: 18

Analysis:  The Dolphins are only 4-3 going back to Week 5, but the three losses came by a combined 10 points (including narrow defeatsto the Bills and Cardinals) and now they've ripped off three straight wins. Miami clearly has been a much better team since Tua Tagovailoa's return, operating more of a controlled passing game that was on display inthe quarterback's four-TD performance against the Patriots. Even with the run game stalling Sunday, there have been other positive developments, such asthe breakout of Jonnu Smith, a player the Patriots never figured out how to use properly. Miami's big test comes on Thanksgiving night. A narrative from last season -- that the Dolphins can't win cold-weather games-- will hold until they prove otherwise. The weather up in Green Bay is expected to dip below freezing, with snow possible. If Miami can spoil the Packers' Turkey Day, it'll give us an indication that this team might be reversing last year's trajectory, when it started 9-3 then withered down the stretch.

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The Ringer

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 20

Analysis: It takes a heap of context to understand which parts of Tua Tagovailoa’s game lift the offense. For instance, when he’s throwing the ball underneath to receivers with room to run, Tagovailoa deserves the credit for understanding how defenses are playing against them and taking what’s available. The throws in the middle of the field to receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, however, are a matter of scheme, and this week featured more of those than we’ve seen since Tagovailoa’s return. The mixture of the two has led to winning football, and the Dolphins will need to maintain this rhythm to stay alive in the AFC.

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USA Today Sports

Ranking: 16

Last Week: 16

Analysis: Their revival has paralleled QB Tua Tagovailoa's. What you might not have noticed is that his most dependable weapons have been RB De'Von Achane and TE Jonnu Smith.

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Pro Football Network

Ranking: 16

Last Week: 17

Analysis: Week 13 will see the Miami Dolphins properly tested for the first time in a month. They have beaten up bad teams over the past two weeks and then beat a middling Rams team in Los Angeles back in Week 10. The Dolphins’ SOV is just .263, with their five wins coming against teams with a combined 15 wins this season. Heading to Green Bay will be a big litmus test for a team that could have another two cold-weather games in the final two weeks of the season and have to go on the road to a cold-weather climate in the playoffs. Lose in Green Bay, and they could find themselves 2.5 games back of the playoff spots heading into Week 14.

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The Athletic

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 21

Analysis: Miami is still alive despite starting the season 2-6, and Tua Tagovailoa gets the credit. The Dolphins quarterback missed Weeks 3-7 because of another concussion, but since Week 9, he has 10 touchdowns and one interception and leads the league in EPA per dropback (.36) and completion percentage (77.3). “The guy is Magic Johnson,” Jason Garrett said on “Sunday Night Football.” “When you take this guy out of the lineup, no one can replace him. He’s playing as well as anyone in the league right now.” Sunday was Miami’s third straight win.

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Yahoo! Sports

Ranking: 16

Last Week: 17

Analysis: The Dolphins are a good example of a playoff-level team that probably won’t make the playoffs. It’s not impossible for Miami to get there, but the Dolphins will need help. All they can do is keep winning, and that might include pulling off an upset at Green Bay on Thursday.

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Bleacher Report

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 20

Analysis: This is the Dolphins team many expected before the season. Sunday in Miami, we saw a glimpse of the buzzsaw offense that dropped 70 points on the Broncos last year. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle had his best game of the season, catching eight passes for 144 yards and a score. On a day the run game struggled, Miami outgained the Patriots by over 100 yards.

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DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKING

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the Green Bay Packers, has an average ranking of 6.3, with a high of 5 and a low of 8.