Dolphins Week 4 Power Rankings Roundup

How the national media stacks the Miami Dolphins after their loss against the Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) sacks Miami Dolphins quarterback Tim Boyle (14) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins suffered a second consecutive loss, again accompanied by a quarterback injury, when they dropped a 24-3 decision against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

That, of course, resulted in another tumble in the national media power rankings.

The Dolphins dropped an average of more than three spots 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 21.7 to 25.1, with a new high of 19 (three outlets) and a low of 29 (USA Today).

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 10 power rankings spots heading into Week 4 of the 2024 regular season, along with the associated commentary.

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Sports Illustrated

• Ranking: 25
• Last week: 21
• Analysis: I do wonder why the Dolphins were so flat-footed when it came to the backup quarterback situation. I understand the need to keep Tua Tagovailoa confident, and certainly hindsight is 20/20, and, yes, Skylar Thompson has been in this offense. But could you really be that certain it would work out if Tagovailoa’s injury issues started creeping up again? Tennessee and New England provide two get-right opportunities before the picture begins to sharpen on Tagovailoa and his long-term availability.
  

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Pro Football Talk

• Ranking: 26
• Last week: 19
• Analysis: At this rate, they won’t have to worry about losing in the wild-card round.
  
  

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CBS Sports

• Ranking: 25
• Last week: 23
• Analysis: Without Tua Tagovailoa, they just don't have enough to score points - even with the explosive receivers. This is going to be a long season without him.

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NFL.com

• Ranking: 25
• Last week: 17
• Analysis: This has to be the lowest point for Mike McDaniel’s team in his reign after it was unable to mount anything resembling an offensive drive until Sunday’s game against the Seahawks was out of reach. Those drives came with Tim Boyle at quarterback, replacing an injured Skylar Thompson, who floundered for two-plus quarters before leaving with a rib issue. With Tua Tagovailoa out until at least Week 8, the only other QB on the roster who could factor in here is Tyler Huntley. McDaniel has been very praiseworthy of Thompson, but he can’t feel great about what his offense did Sunday. Even with the 0-3 Titans and 1-2 Patriots up next, these feel like scary games. The Dolphins have to find a way to get to the Week 6 bye with another win or two, but even that feels like a stretch assumption now.

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The Ringer

• Ranking: 23
• Last week: 19
• Analysis: It’s not often that a 10-point deficit feels completely insurmountable, but the Dolphins didn’t have a prayer of catching the Seahawks after they fell behind by two scores on Sunday. They seemed to be waving the surrender flag when they called a play-action pass on the final play of the first half but sent only two receivers downfield. Skylar Thompson stood in the pocket patting the ball before taking a sack. Miami is at its best when Mike McDaniel can use his creative play-calling to take advantage of his team’s speed, but that feels impossible right now. Schematically, this team is lost without Tua Tagovailoa under center, and on Sunday the Dolphins looked like they were still reeling emotionally as well. And now they’ll likely be starting a third quarterback, Snoop Huntley, against Tennessee in Week 4.

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USA Today

• Ranking: 29
• Last week: 25
• Analysis: Since they're apparently not anteing up for QB Russell Wilson – yet – it appears QBs Tim Boyle and/or Snoop Huntley will be charged with keeping the season afloat next Monday night against the even more hapless Titans.

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The Sporting News

• Ranking: 21
• Last week: 18
• Analysis: The Dolphins cannot operate their offense the way Mike McDaniel wants without Tua Tagovailoa at QB. They need to find someone who can — quickly — because they also can't hold up well defensively.
  

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The Athletic

• Ranking: 27
• Last week: 20
• 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: 26
• Last week: 23
• Analysis: Skylar Thompson wasn't good and got hurt and we've all seen Tim Boyle by now. Maybe Tyler Huntley will be next up. It doesn't really matter since the Dolphins are going to fade fast without Tua Tagovailoa.

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Bleacher Report

• Ranking: 24
• Last week: 22
• Analysis: It's panic time in Miami. The Dolphins have skill-position talent that rivals any in the NFL. But after surrendering six more sacks in Sunday's loss in Seattle, the Dolphins are on their third-string quarterback after Skylar Thompson was forced from the game with a chest injury. With Tim Boyle playing much of the game, the Dolphins barely cracked 200 total yards and were held out of the end zone. Wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for seven catches for 66 yards. While talking to reporters after the game, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged that the Dolphins have to figure out how to move the ball—and do so quickly.

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DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKING

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the Tennessee Titans, has an average ranking of 31.2, with a high of 28 and five rankings of 32nd and dead last.