The Miami Dolphins concluded their disappointing 2024 season with a 32-20 loss against the New York Jets, though they already knew before the end of the game they had been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Dolphins finished with an 8-9 record, one of 16 teams around the league to finish with a losing record. That puts them pretty much as a middle-of-the-pack team at the end of the regular season.

Our weekly survey of NFL power rankings is down to nine national outlets — Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, NFL.com, The Ringer, Pro Football Network, The Athletic, Yahoo! Sports, and Bleacher Report — because USA Today only ranked the playoff teams, and this is the first time in three years Miami is not part of the postseason party.

The Dolphins’ average ranking this week was at 18.4, up from 17.9 after the Week 17 victory against the Cleveland Browns.

The Dolphins rankings ranged from 17 to 20. The only movement involving more than one spot this week came from PFT, which dropped them from 18 to 20.

Here’s the breakdown of the Dolphins’ nine power rankings spots following the end of the 2024 regular season, along with the associated commentary.

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 16

Analysis: While there seems to be a bit of an exodus afoot in Miami with both Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey perhaps pushing for the exits, sometimes we’ve seen this become a blessing in disguise. Tua Tagovailoa needs legitimate competition on the roster, but allowing Mike McDaniel to cook with a younger roster full of malleable parts doesn’t sound too bad to me. 

Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 20

Last Week: 18

Analysis: Tua’s big contract is looking like a massive mistake.

CBS Sports

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 18

Analysis: The Tua Tagovailoa injuries killed this team’s chances of making the playoffs, but isn’t that a pattern? Now Tyreek Hill might want out? Not good.

NFL.com

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 18

Analysis:  Head coach Mike McDaniel and GM Chris Grier will return next season, owner Stephen Ross announced, but the future of Tyreek Hill in Miami is suddenly much murkier after the star wide receiver’s comments on Sunday. Perhaps moving on from Hill — who is due nearly $28 million next season, per OverTheCap — is best for the Dolphins spiritually, but it would leave a big hole in their offense, even with Hill coming off his most difficult season in years. The Dolphins suffered right alongside him for their first losing season since 2019. Even if you can split Miami’s 2024 campaign into two parts — with and without Tua Tagovailoa — it’s worth noting the Dolphins were 6-5 with Tagovailoa starting and 2-4 with others at QB. That suggests there is far more to address than just the Hill situation, and trading him for draft assets won’t ensure a quick fix. The AFC East remains a cloudy division, but the three teams that missed the playoffs are still looking (way) up at the Bills for now.

The Ringer

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 18

Analysis: The Dolphins may convince themselves that injuries were the reason they missed the postseason, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa wouldn’t have been good enough to get them out of the wild-card round even if they were perfectly healthy. This offense needs to find cheap yards on early downs to keep Tagovailoa away from difficult third-down situations, and it’s unrealistic to expect that approach to be viable in a playoff field that features Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert. Tagovailoa is now an expensive player and his top receiver, Tyreek Hill, wants out of Miami. Things are getting messy, and the window to improve is getting tighter. Until the Dolphins can clear out some contracts, expect this team to be average.

Pro Football Network

Ranking: 19

Last Week: 20

Analysis: Entering Week 18, the Dolphins needed a win over the Jets and a Broncos loss to make the playoffs, but neither ended up happening. New York managed to upset Miami (and Denver beat Kansas City), so the Dolphins’ season is over. One has to wonder how Miami’s season would have turned out if Tua Tagovailoa stayed healthy, as the offense completely fell apart without him under center.

The Athletic

Ranking: 19

Last Week: 19

Analysis on the lesson learned, run the ball: Coach Mike McDaniel is a great run-game play designer, and the Dolphins’ backfield was one of the deepest in the league (De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, Jaylen Wright and Jeff Wilson). So why was this team just 21st in run percentage this season at 41.4 percent? Miami finished 27th in rushing success rate (36 percent) and missed the playoffs for the first time under McDaniel. In the coach’s fourth season, the Dolphins need to get less cute and tougher on the ground.

Yahoo! Sports

Ranking: 17

Last Week: 16

Analysis: Tyreek Hill not going back in the game, and his rant afterward might be an exit ramp for the Dolphins. Hill played in all 17 games and didn’t hit 1,000 yards at age 30. Is it going to get a lot better at age 31, with a $28.7 million salary-cap hit? Maybe this is best for the Dolphins.

Bleacher Report

Ranking: 18

Last Week: 18

Analysis: There’s been some buzz that the Dolphins could fire GM Chris Grier in the offseason—another report suggests he may retire. Neither outcome would surprise me because poor roster building was Miami’s biggest issue in 2024. Despite having a top-10 overall defense and a surplus of speedy offensive playmakers, the Dolphins fell short of the playoffs/squeaked in as a wild-card team. An unreliable offensive line and a lack of offensive physicality meant Miami largely had to win with finesse. This simply wasn’t a team built to win without Tua Tagovailoa, and, to make matters worse, the Dolphins failed to invest in a strong backup plan at quarterback. Those early losses while Tagovailoa was sidelined burned Miami in a big way.