Dolphins Week 3 Power Rankings Roundup

The Miami Dolphins clearly have gained nationwide respect.

That is what a 21-point fourth-quarter comeback victory towards a high quality staff just like the Baltimore Ravens will do for any staff, notably one which got here into the season having so much to show.

After starting the season in the midst of the pack, the Dolphins now are a unanimous prime 10 staff.

For a second consecutive week, the Dolphins had been among the many greatest movers within the nationwide NFL energy rankings after their 42-38 victory towards the New England Patriots, transferring up a median of a bit greater than six spots based mostly on our survey of rankings of 10 nationwide retailers — SI, CBS Sports activities, NFL.com, The Athletic, The Sporting Information, The Ringer, Professional Soccer Community, ESPN, Yahoo, and Professional Soccer Speak.

The very best rating the Dolphins received was fifth (it was solely eleventh final week), whereas the bottom was eighth (it was sixteenth heading into Week 2).

This is the breakdown of the Dolphins’ 10 energy rankings spots, together with the commentary related to it:

CBS Sports activities

Rating: 8 Earlier: 12

Evaluation: They’re 2-0 and one of many early-season tales of this season. It turns into a a lot greater story in the event that they beat the Payments this week.

NFL.com

Rating: 8 Earlier: 13

Evaluation: Members of TuAnon! Step out of the shadows of the darkish internet and be counted! Your hero has delivered! Tua Tagovailoa put up an historic efficiency on Sunday in Baltimore, throwing for 469 yards and 6 touchdowns in an epic comeback victory over the Ravens. Tua was unconscious within the sport’s fourth quarter, throwing 4 of his scores within the remaining interval, together with the game-winner to Jaylen Waddle with lower than a minute to play. This was the proof-of-concept sport for first-year coach Mike McDaniel, who has an offense that may ship in a shootout. Tua might want to stack high quality video games to show he is the man, however this was nothing lower than a clarion name to the believers.

The Athletic

Rating: 6 Earlier: 8

Evaluation: Trailing 35-14, the Dolphins scored touchdowns on all 4 of their fourth-quarter drives in securing essentially the most explosive of the three loopy, inconceivable comebacks in Week 2. Within the fourth quarter alone, Tua Tagovailoa accomplished 13 of 17 passes for 199 yards and 4 touchdowns. Only for enjoyable, let’s extrapolate that one-quarter efficiency over a 17-game season. That’d be 13,532 passing yards and 272 landing passes. Robust information for Peyton Manning, whose 2013 season gave us the present data of 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns. Oh, and Tyreek Hill’s 149 fourth-quarter receiving yards can be good for 10,132 yards over the course of a season. Eat it, Calvin Johnson (1,964 receiving yards in 2012).

Professional Soccer Speak

Rating: 6 Earlier: 12

Evaluation: TuAnon goes mainstream.

Yahoo Sports activities

Rating: 6 Earlier: 16

Evaluation: Properly then. Tua Tagovailoa deserves each little bit of reward coming his method this week. His 469-yard, six-touchdown sport must be a reminder that there must be some persistence with quarterback improvement. Now that he has a coach that believes in him and Tyreek Hill to throw to after a fairly sharp commerce, we may see a real breakout season from Tagovailoa. The primary two video games look fairly good.

Sports activities Illustrated

Rating: 6 Earlier: 16

Evaluation: Why the hell not? There isn’t a staff within the NFL having extra enjoyable than the Miami Dolphins proper now. There isn’t a defensive coordinator who can fairly put a thumb on Mike McDaniel.

Professional Soccer Community

Rating: 5 Earlier: 12

Evaluation: It doesn’t matter how good or dangerous you or I consider Tua Tagovailoa is. All he should do is defend the soccer. All he should do is take away these two or three boneheaded selections he makes a sport. If he simply lets the offense function, they’ll transfer the ball persistently. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle with the ball of their palms are as harmful a duo as we’ve seen on the identical roster. In the meantime, the protection appeared unable to cease something for many of the sport. However a robust defensive efficiency within the fourth quarter and an unimaginable offensive effort made all of the distinction within the sport. Will Miami stay this excessive within the NFL Energy Rankings? Solely time will inform. Their offense proved as we speak that they are often extremely harmful in spurts.

ESPN

Rating: 5 Earlier: 12

Evaluation (on the largest early adjustment (Get Raheem Mostert extra touches): Chase Edmonds was Miami’s lead again in Week 1 and all through the offseason as Mostert rehabbed from a left knee damage. However the former 49ers working again gained 47 yards on 10 carries Sunday within the Dolphins’ win over the Ravens, and it was the primary time in months that Miami’s run sport appeared prefer it had some chunk to it. Edmonds, whereas versatile and nonetheless deserving of a job, was ineffective towards a mediocre Patriots run protection in Week 1; he broke off a 28-yard run on Miami’s game-winning drive Sunday, however Mostert ought to get his second begin of the season towards the Payments in Week 3

The Ringer

Rating: 8 Earlier: 13

Evaluation: The gaudy field rating statistics (469 passing yards, six touchdowns) for Tua Tagovailoa within the Dolphins’ 21-point comeback win over Baltimore closely inflate notion of his efficiency. Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald struggled to dial up stress persistently, and the Ravens’ younger, injury-ridden secondary allowed large performs on a number of blown coverages, together with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to Tyreek Hill that Tagovailoa underthrew. And Miami head coach Mike McDaniel, together with maybe the NFL’s most electrical receiving duo in Hill and second-year standout Jaylen Waddle, simply created so a lot simple offense for Tagovailoa—Hill and Waddle every averaged greater than 3 yards of separation on 22 mixed targets en path to 361 receiving yards and 4 scores, in accordance with NFL’s Subsequent Gen Stats.

However that doesn’t imply Tagovailoa didn’t nonetheless put collectively one of the best efficiency of his younger profession. He threw two ugly interceptions and led one other drive that netted simply 2 yards within the first half, however he—surprisingly—didn’t collapse because of this.

The Sporting Information

Rating: 8 Earlier: 13

Evaluation: Mike McDaniel has proved each little bit of his offensive genius in solely two video games working with Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. He even received Chase Edmonds and Mike Gesicki concerned with key performs. The Dolphins reside as much as playoff sleeper expectations on one aspect however must get extra constant protection to ship on playoff promise.

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FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM.