Dolphins Week 5 Power Rankings Roundup

How the national media stacks the Miami Dolphins after their loss against the Tennessee Titans.

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (2) runs for a touchdown during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins suffered a third consecutive loss, with a third different starting quarterback, when they dropped a 31-12 decision against the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night.

That, of course, resulted in another tumble in the national media 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, The Sporting News, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, and Bleacher Report — the Dolphins dropped an average of almost three spots.

The Dolphins' average ranking went from 25.1 to 27.17, with a new high of 24 (two outlets) and a low of 31 (The Athletic).

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' ten power rankings spots heading into Week 5 of the 2024 regular season, along with the associated commentary.

---

MIAMI DOLPHINS' TEN POWER RANKINGS

Sports Illustrated

• Ranking: 27
• Last week: 25
• Analysis: This moment pretty much summed up everything. Aimless, confusing times in Miami.

---

Pro Football Talk

• Ranking: 28
• Last week: 26
• Analysis: The fans on Monday night definitely weren't chanting "Tuuuuu-a."

---

CBS Sports

• Ranking: 28
• Last week: 25
• Analysis: Without Tua Tagovailoa, they are lost. It doesn't matter who plays quarterback if it's not Tua. The defense has issues as well.

---

NFL.com

• Ranking: 30
• Last week: 25
• Analysis: 
• The low point of Monday's loss to the previously winless Titans might have come with the Dolphins down 22-6 in the fourth quarter when cameras peered in on Mike McDaniel's expressionless, stone-cold face. A few feet behind him wasTyreek Hill, barking to anyone who'd listen. Jordan Poyer had just been officially ruled out of the game with injury. On the field, an illegal shift — Miami's eighth of ten penalties on the night — wiped out a fourth-down conversion by Tyler Huntley, this week's starting QB. A few minutes later, Huntley would be called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a Tennessee safety. It was just an awful night for the Fins. The clock couldn't run down fast enough. There's a chance for a win with the Patriots up next, but the season feels completely wayward right now.

---

The Ringer

• Ranking: 24
• Last week: 23
• Analysis: Tua Tagovailoa's injury has certainly put a damper on Miami's season, and his absence has an outsize influence on the Dolphins' three-game losing streak, but it's possible that the Dolphins would have been a bad team even with him. For all of the team's speed, we haven't seen any Miami quarterback consistently find open receivers in the intermediate and deep areas of the field, and that goes back to Week 1 against Jacksonville when Tagovailoa was in the lineup. Right now, Miami is tied for 26th in throws of 5 or more air yards, so much for a once-explosive offense. Just as concerning is that Mike McDaniel's inventive approach to the run game last season isn't as effective anymore, either.

---

USA Today Sports

• Ranking: 29
• Last week: 29
• Analysis: 
• Sometimes an offense runs better with an experienced backup — and sometimes, it'sjust screwed up beyond recognitionwithout its primary starter. Still time to get a stopgap, though...

---

The Sporting News

• Ranking: 24
• Last week: 21
• Analysis: The Dolphins are wisely turning to former Ravens super sub Tyler Huntley at QB to pivot to a run-heavier offense with Tua Tagovailoa (head) out. Thanks to limited defense, however, that didn't play off at home versus the Titans on Monday night.

---

The Athletic

• Ranking: 31
• Last week: 27
• Analysis: First-round edge rusher Chop Robinson had played fewer than 50 percent of the snaps coming into Monday night's game (and not making much of an impact), but that workload might go up after Jaelan Phillips left the game with a knee injury. Overall, it's been a disappointing rookie class in Miami. Only three of their seven picks are on the 53-man roster. Maybe that was a sign of things to come in Miami, where the Dolphins managed only 184 yards Monday night with Snoop Huntley at quarterback.

---

Yahoo! Sports

• Ranking: 30
• Last week: 26
• Analysis: No, Mike McDaniel didn't perform miracles with his backup quarterbacks like Matt LaFleur. It doesn't mean he's a bad coach. It just means his team won't be good without a competent quarterback, which is the case for most coaches.

---

Bleacher Report

• Ranking: 26
• Last week: 24
• Analysis: So much for Plan D at quarterback for the reeling Miami Dolphins. They trotted out their fourth quarterback of September against the winless Tennessee Titans, deciding to start practice squad call-up Tyler Huntley. Before the game, Miami head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters he was impressed by how quickly the 26-year-old had picked up the Dolphins' offense: "We've been very high on Snoop. High enough to give him a roster spot on the 53, which those are very few and far between with sight unseen. So, his maturation has been expedited by him, and he's done an impressive job assimilating into the locker room and understanding our language as his own and the team is excited for him." And then the game started. As has been the case since Tua Tagovailoa got hurt, Miami's quarterback play was abysmal against the Titans. Huntley threw for less than 100 yards and was whistled for intentional grounding in his own end zone. All the skill-position talent in the world is no good to the Dolphins right now because the team doesn't have a signal-caller who can get the ball to Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. They combined for eight catches Monday but had less than 60 yards. Getting blown out by, arguably, the worst team in the league is a new nadir for a Miami team that has had nothing but low points in 2024. Despite that, though, the Dolphins' season isn't lost. They are at New England next week before a Week 6 bye. If they can somehow find a path to victory against the Patriots, the team will still have a pulse at 2-3. Lose, and it's fair to wonder if there's any point putting Tagovailoa back out there at all.

---

DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKING

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the New England Patriots, has an average ranking of 29.8, with a high of 26 and two rankings of 32nd and dead last.