With the week off news is slow: CBS Sports Ranking: 4 Previous: 6 Analysis: They are in first place in the AFC East and continue to be an offensive show. Tua Tagovailoa is in the MVP conversation. NFL.com Ranking: 4 Previous: 12 Analysis: You have to go back to the salad days of Dan Marino to find a Dolphins offense that felt this dangerous. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 285 yards and three more touchdowns, and Jeff Wilson Jr. had 119 of the team's 195 rushing yards as Miami steamrolled a Cleveland defense that shut down Joe Burrow and the Bengals in Week 9. The Dolphins reach their bye in first place in the AFC East having averaged 35 points and nearly 450 yards per game in their last three weeks. Meanwhile, the "M-V-P!" chants for Tua at Hard Rock Stadium don't seem so far-fetched: eight starts, seven wins, 18 touchdown passes, three interceptions, 71 percent completion rate at a staggering 9.1 yards per attempt. Peak Steve Young stuff. The Athletic Ranking: 3 Previous: 5 Analysis: After their 22-point blowout of the Browns, the Dolphins are now 7-0 in games started and finished by Tua Tagovailoa. They won in a different way Sunday, leaning on their rushing attack against the notoriously bad Browns run defense. Jeff Wilson, acquired at the deadline, ran for 119 yards and a touchdown while Raheem Mostert added 65 yards and a touchdown. Miami’s 195 rushing yards were far and away its most of the season, while Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for 110 yards receiving, their second-lowest combined mark behind the Skylar Thompson-led loss to the Jets in Week 5. Pro Football Talk Ranking: 5 Previous: 9 Analysis: The offense is becoming more and more unstoppable. The question is whether it will travel in January. Maybe it won’t have to. Yahoo Sports Ranking: 4 Previous: 7 Analysis: Mike McDaniel has been a great hire. If you were doing it all over again, would McDaniel, Kevin O'Connell or Brian Daboll be the top choice among the 2022 hires? All three have a case for Coach of the Year. Sports Illustrated Ranking: 9 Previous: 10 Analysis: Tua Tagovailoa leads the league in QB rating. And while QB rating isn’t what we’d traditionally use to evaluate the entirety of a skill set, it’s absolutely stunning what happens when a coaching staff decides a player is not limited. ESPN Ranking: 4 Previous: 6 Analysis (on temperature on who was on the hot seat in preseason, Noah Igbinoghene, hot but tolerable): Igbinoghene turned in noteworthy performances against the Vikings and Steelers in Week 6 and Week 7, respectively, recording a winning interception against Pittsburgh. He has logged 37 total snaps in two games since, which is an upward trend from the healthy scratches he was logging at the beginning of the season. He still has a long way to go toward solidifying a long-term roster spot, and his fifth-year option is likely all but declined at this point. But this coaching staff appreciates his work ethic and demeanor. All hope is not yet abandoned. The Ringer Ranking: 5 Previous: 7 Analysis: Tua Tagovailoa has three consecutive games with three touchdown passes and no picks. The Dolphins have won every game he’s started and finished. He leads the league in EPA per dropback and has Miami ranked second in offensive EPA per drive. Tua certainly deserves a ton of credit, both for how well he’s playing and for the overall success Miami is having, but head coach Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins’ elite cast of skill position players deserve just as much, if not more. The potential for this offense is sky-high because of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and McDaniel is hitting the ceiling with creative run schemes and Shanahan-level mastery of personnel groupings, play-action and pre-snap motion. Tagovailoa, McDaniel, and the supporting cast are all at the top of their games right now; that makes them a legitimate Super Bowl threat. The Sporting News Ranking: 4 Previous: 14 Analysis: The Dolphins were off to the races early with their speedy wide receivers and running backs against the Browns with Tua Tagovailoa playing his best football. They're now in first place in the AFC East. USA Today Ranking: 5 Previous: 5 Analysis: Look who's suddenly atop the AFC East. Miami is undefeated in contests started and finished by QB Tua Tagovailoa. The run game is also gaining steam behind recently obtained RB Jeff Wilson and fellow former 49er Raheem Mostert – the duo combining for 184 yards Sunday.
I shook my head at how The Sporting News had us at #14 last week. I think behind a few teams with losing records halfway through the season. I guess they realized their mistake.
We'll drop seven spots with the next L. Hopefully, the team keeps its eyes on the next team instead of on power rankings.
One game at a time. We're going to have some ups and downs. If we can get to the playoffs with this offense then anything is possible. I keep waiting for the defense to pull itself together. It's going to happen. This is the same defensive unit that went on a tear last season. It'll happen.
It went on a tear against bad teams with bad quarterbacks, and it had several key starters that we're now missing to injury, unfortunately.
As amazingly wonderful as it would be to finish the remaining schedule undefeated, we’re going to lose a game. As the old adage goes, you can’t win ‘em all but any loss(es) we do have aren’t going to be because of Tua or the offense (barring anything catastrophic) The worry will be the defense. With them giving up 32 points per game on the road, it’s not realistic to think we can get into a shootout with some of the other powerhouse teams that have stout defenses. I worry about the games at San Francisco and Buffalo. Good offenses with stout defenses. Our had better show up!
Unfortunately, the bye week won’t help our defense all that much, as most of the injuries on that side of the ball were season ending. Howard will certainly benefit from the extra week off, but that’s about it. If Jones isn’t playing next week, put him on IR already.
Guys are banged up and tired. Getting some time off should help everyone to a certain degree. The pass rush is key.
