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Dolphins 2023 Week 17 Power Rankings Roundup

The Miami Dolphins became a consensus top 3 team after their victory against Dallas

Alain Poupart

Dolphins 2023 Week 17 Power Rankings Roundup
Dolphins 2023 Week 17 Power Rankings Roundup /
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The Miami Dolphins got their signature win over a team with a winning record Sunday, in addition to clinching their playoff berth, and they naturally moved up in the national power rankings as a result.

The Dolphins moved up an average of 1.25 spots in our weekly survey of 11 national outlets — CBS Sports, NFL.com, Pro Football Network, The Sporting News, USA Today, The Athletic, The 33rd Team, Touchdown Wire, The Score, Yahoo and Pro Football Talk — after their 22-20 last-second victory at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Dolphins' average ranking is 3.45, up from 4.7, with their ranking ranging from 2 to 7. The Dolphins' biggest jump this week was three spots (by The Score), while the Dolphins actually dropped one spot in the USA Today rankings.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 11 power rankings spots, along with the commentary associated with it:

CBS Sports

Ranking: 2 Previous: 3

Analysis: They are in the playoffs with their late rally against Dallas. They need to win at Baltimore this week to win the division.

NFL.com

Ranking: 3 Previous: 4

Analysis: The Dolphins did what we’ve been begging them to do all season long: beat a quality team. The 22-20 win over Dallas came in Miami, but the fact is the Fins went toe-to-toe with a good squad and prospered in a tense, playoff-like environment. They needed every Jason Sanders bomb to get it done, but the key play might have been the third-and-2 conversion with just under two minutes remaining in the game. Running the football has been the Dolphins’ sneaky superpower this season when they’ve had their full offensive personnel on the field, and though they did not spring a lot of big runs Sunday, they finished off the important ones. This now sets up a potential division-clinching game against the Ravens, which just so happens to be another terrific playoff table setter. Miami has responded beautifully after Week 14's shocking loss to Tennessee.

Touchdown Wire

Ranking: 4 Previous: 5

Analysis: The Dolphins got their signature win of the season, silencing all the critics saying they couldn’t beat good teams. They’ll have to beat another good team next week when they face the Ravens.

The Score

Ranking: 4 Previous: 7

The 33rd Team

Ranking: 3 Previous: 4

Analysis: Sunday’s win against Dallas came with some controversy, but ultimately, the Miami Dolphins beat a premium opponent for the first time this season. Injuries are now Miami’s biggest concern, particularly at wide receiver. Tyreek Hill played through an ankle sprain last week, but now fellow speedster Jaylen Waddle may have a high ankle sprain. That duo is what makes Miami a unique opponent. If both players are reduced by injury, that changes the Dolphins’ ceiling.

Pro Football Network

Ranking: 3 Previous: 5

Analysis: We don’t often get to see two of the best teams in the league face off. It’s even rarer to see two of the most talented teams in the league play a game that lives up to the hype, even if it’s not quite the way we imagined it. Both offenses had decent days at the office but were ultimately flawed. The Dolphins couldn’t score touchdowns in the red zone despite moving the ball well down the field, and the Cowboys could not protect Prescott at all.

The Sporting News

Ranking: 3 Previous: 3

Analysis: The Dolphins came through with a big win thanks to their defense setting the tone against the Cowboys' offense to make it a lot easier on their no-longer automatic scoring attack. That was Tua Tagovailoa's most impressive performance in a way, to come through in a non-shootout, building more confidence for the Ravens' fight next week.

USA Today

Ranking: 7 Previous: 6

Analysis: His career year continuing to build, RB Raheem Mostert just became Miami's first 1,000-yard rusher since … Jay Ajayi in 2016.

The Athletic

Ranking: 3 Previous: 4

Yahoo

Ranking: 4 Previous: 5

Analysis: Make no mistake, Jaylen Waddle's apparent high ankle sprain is bad news for Miami, which probably has to win at Baltimore in Week 17 to keep the finale from being a flexed AFC East championship showdown against the Bills. They can beat the Ravens or the Bills without Waddle, but it's a lot tougher.

Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 2 Previous: 3

Analysis: In a game of competing narratives, one of the narratives had to give.

Miami Dolphins Updated 2022 Playoff Picture Through Week 16

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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