Dolphins Week 3 Power Rankings Roundup

How the national media stacks the Miami Dolphins after their Thursday night loss against the Buffalo Bills.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Robbie Chosen (84) runs with the football against Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins failed to score a statement victory against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night. To make matters worse, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the game early with his third diagnosed concussion in three years.

After the humbling loss and with uncertainty at quarterback, at least for the immediate future, it's no surprise the Dolphins tumbled in the national NFL power rankings.

The Dolphins dropped an average of more than 11 spots following their 31-10 loss at Hard Rock Stadium 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, The Sporting News, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, and Bleacher Report.

The Dolphins' average ranking went from 9.5 to 20.7, with a new high of 17 (NFL.com) and a low of 25 (USA Today).

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 10 power rankings spots heading into Week 3 of the 2024 regular season, along with the associated commentary.

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Sports Illustrated

• Ranking: 21
• Last week: 12
• Analysis: Tyler Huntley becomes Miami's backup option/competition for Skylar Thompson. But I wonder if the Dolphins would entertain swinging a deal for a pigeonholed backup like Trey Lance or Bryce Young at some point. Mike McDaniel and Young would be a fascinating combination. Mike White is on the Bills' practice squad, and Desmond Ridder, Austin Reed, and Bailey Zappe are also on practice squads. I wonder what they would look like in a Mike McDaniel offense.

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Pro Football Talk

• Ranking: 19
• Last week: 9
• Analysis: With or without Tua, things aren't looking good for the Dolphins.

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CBS Sports

• Ranking: 23
• Last week: 10
• Analysis: With Tua Tagovailoa having concussion issues, this team is in big trouble if he is out for any length of time or maybe even the season. It's Skylar Thompson's time now.

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NFL.com

• Ranking: 17
• Last week: 9
• Analysis: The concussion suffered by Tua Tagovailoacreates many questions, including where to place the Dolphins in this pecking order. Tua's status undoubtedly affects things. Where will the Dolphins be mentally for their trip to Seattle in Week 3? Skylar Thompson has the temperament to handle the moment if he's called on to start, and he's capable of a few plays to rally the team. But we saw Thursday what happens when you can't get the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at least a dozen times in a game, and it's not great. Can De'Von Achane keep up this workload behind a beat-up offensive line? There are myriad worries for Mike McDaniel's team right now, with these next weeks and months a massive test of his coaching skill.

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The Ringer

• Ranking: 19
• Last week: 9
• Analysis: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered another scary concussion in Week 2, leading to serious questions about his long-term health and playing career. Those concerns are paramount for the Dolphins right now. And even before Tua's concussion on Thursday night against Buffalo, Miami's flaws were laid bare. Playing at home against a true contender, the Dolphins were bullied in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Mike McDaniel is a hell of a playcaller, but I'm not sure there are schematic innovations that can help this team.

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USA Today

• Ranking: 25
• Last week: 13
• Analysis: Between WR Tyreek Hill and QB Tua Tagovailoa, not many opportunities to focus on football for a franchise with a very uncertain outlook moving forward after Tua's latest concussion.

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The Sporting News

• Ranking: 18
• Last week: 11
• Analysis: The Dolphins face uncertainty over quarterback after Tua Tagovailoa's latest concussion, but they have the running game and receivers to survive. The more significant issue is the defense is not living up to expectations despite solid corner play.

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The Athletic

• Ranking: 20
• Last week: 8
• Analysis: The football part of the Dolphins' discussion feels trivial after Tua Tagovailoa suffered another scary concussion on Thursday night, but the season does continue. Miami, which plans to go with backup Skylar Thompson at quarterback, at least until there's more clarity on Tagovailoa's status, signed Tyler "Snoop" Huntley off the Ravens practice squad Monday as another option. Look for a heavy dose of De'Von Achane, who had 96 rushing yards and 69 receiving yards against the Bills, as long as he's healthy.

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Yahoo! Sports

• Ranking: 23
• Last week: 9
• Analysis: We'll see where the Tua Tagovailoa story goes, but at least he'll be out for a while due to another concussion. It's also funny to see speculation about the Dolphins trading for nearly every backup quarterback in the NFL like teams don't value their own QB2 and want to give them away.

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Bleacher Report

• Ranking: 22
• Last week: 8
• Analysis: Getting drilled by the Bills for their 12th loss to the Bills in 13 games was bad enough for the Miami Dolphins. But right now, it's the least of Miami's problems. After suffering three concussions in 2022, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made it through the 2023 campaign unscathed, leading the NFL in passing yards and getting a four-year, $212.4 million extension from the team. But while trying to gain extra yards on a fourth-down run Thursday night, Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion that has thrown his season (if not his career) into doubt. Now the Dolphins need to figure out a way to keep the season afloat until Tagovailoa returns — and if Thursday's loss was any indication, generating offense with Skylar Thompson under center isn't going to be easy.

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DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKING

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, has an average ranking of 15.0, with a high of 7 and a low of 21.