Dolphins Week 8 Power Rankings Roundup

How the national media stacks the Miami Dolphins following their 16-10 loss against the Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tim Boyle (14) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (54) and linebacker Grant Stuard (41) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins' return to action following their bye produced another disappointing effort, this one culminating in a 16-10 loss against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The loss dropped the Dolphins to 2-4 on the season, but at least now they have the return of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to provide optimism they can turn their season around.

Despite the loss against the Colts, the Dolphins actually moved up slightly in the national power rankings, though they remain firmly in the bottom third of the league.

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 moved up an average of almost one spot.

The Dolphins' average ranking went from 25.6 to 25.0, with a high of 23 (Yahoo Sports) and a low of 29 (CBS Sports). The Dolphins actually moved up five spots (from 29th to 24th) in the USA Today rankings.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' ten power rankings spots heading into Week 8 of the 2024 regular season, along with the associated commentary.

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MIAMI DOLPHINS POWER RANKINGS

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 25

Last week: 26

Analysis: The Tua Tagovailoa news brings the Dolphins to a kind of soft and mushy part of their schedule where they face winnable games against the unpredictable (and exhausted, after Monday) Cardinals, awful Raiders, soft Patriots (not my words!) and banged up Rams. I don’t think this season is over by a longshot if Tagovailoa comes back and plays to his average. 

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Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 25

Last week: 27

Analysis: Tua is back. Is it already too late?

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CBS Sports

Ranking: 29

Last week: 26

Analysis:  They can't generate any offense. The good news is they might be getting Tua Tagovailoa back soon.

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NFL.com

Ranking: 25

Last week: 26

Analysis: There is hope that Tua Tagovailoa — who's been out since suffering a scary concussion in Week 2 — could play this week against the Cardinals. It's good timing, considering Tyler Huntley left Sunday's loss to the Colts with an injury to his throwing shoulder. Tua's return theoretically could give the 2-4 Dolphins a chance to climb back into the race after losing four of five games in his absence. Only Denver and Cincinnati are ahead of them in the AFC wild-card chase right now, early as it is, so no one should close that door. Will Tagovailoa face any rust? And can he get the Dolphins' best playmakers back into the game plan? Tyreek Hill wasn't targeted for the first half on Sunday and caught his only pass with less than two minutes left. Jaylen Waddle wasn't targeted until the fourth quarter, also catching one short pass. That's pretty much inexcusable, no matter who the quarterbacks are.

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The Ringer

Ranking: 24

Last week: 24

Analysis:  As quarterback Tua Tagovailoa gets through the final stages of the concussion protocol and ramps up to a return this season, I struggle to project what success will look like in the second half of Miami’s schedule. The Dolphins have the worst scoring offense in the league this year, and Tagovailoa’s presence isn’t likely to be enough to return this unit to the upper echelon. The team faces some tough road opponents late in the season, which has been an issue for this team at full health. If Tagovailoa gets through the year with his health, I suppose that’s a reason to celebrate, but I wouldn’t expect much winning the rest of the way.

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USA Today Sports

Ranking: 24

Last week: 29

Analysis: How bad has this offense been? Try a league-worst 1.04 points per drive. It should certainly helpto get QB Tua Tagovailoa back, but – don't forget – the Fins weren't playing very well when he was in the lineup, either.

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The Sporting News

Ranking: 24

Last week: 22

Analysis: The Dolphins are feeling down, as they haven't had enough offense to overcome their run defense woes. They need to get hot in a hurry with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa (head) to have any shot at the playoffs.

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The Athletic

Ranking: 27

Last week: 27

Analysis: Tua Tagovailoa (will be) designated to return from injured reserve and could play this weekend against Arizona. That’s good news for a Dolphins team averaging a league-low 10 points per game since he suffered a concussion in a Week 2 loss to the Bills. It’s worrying news for a lot of people, though, considering his most recent injury was his third concussion. “I love this game, and I love it to the death of me,” Tagovailoa said Monday. Those words won’t make any of the worried people feel better.

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Yahoo! Sports

Ranking: 23

Last week: 24

Analysis: We’ll see if Tua Tagovailoa is back this week. The Dolphins are unwatchable without him. They have 70 points this season while the AFC East-leading Bills have 199, which seems impossible. Also worth remembering that the Dolphins had 70 points in a game last season.

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Bleacher Report

Ranking: 24

Last week: 27

Analysis: The Miami Dolphins badly need quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back on the field. Since Tagovailoa went down with a concussion, Miami's offense has all but vanished. The Dolphins outgained the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but the team ran the ball a whopping 40 times. Explosive wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill combined for four targets and two catches for 19 yards. No team in the league is scoring fewer points. If Tagovailoa isn't back out there soon, it's going to be too late.

DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKING

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, has an average ranking of 19.6, with a high of 15 and a low of 23.