If you could try to think of a more worse-case scenario for the 2021 Miami Dolphins than what took place in Week 2 of the regular season against the Buffalo Bills, Dolphins fans would probably be all ears. They’d love to hear about a worse possible turn of events than a 35-0 shelling at the hands of the Bills that not only spoiled a prime opportunity for Miami to declare themselves as contenders but simultaneously threw everything we thought we knew about the Dolphins’ rebuild into question.
Adjustments to expectations are going to be made; starting now. And there’s a great example of this that has come out in the latest NFL.com Power Rankings for 2021, which has dropped the Dolphins 9 spots down the order and into the No. 22 overall position in the rankings after Sunday’s loss to Buffalo.
“Sunday’s game won’t be an easy one for the Dolphins to shake off. The Bills came into their building and delivered an embarrassing 35-0 whipping that wiped away any lingering optimism gained from the Week 1 win at Foxborough. Miami seemed overwhelmed by a more talented Buffalo roster. Tua Tagovailoa was lit up by the Bills’ pass rushers three times in eight offensive snaps before his day ended with a cart ride to the locker room and the diagnosis of bruised ribs. Jacoby Brissett was unable to provide anything close to a Ryan Fitzpatrick-like spark, and Miami was left to ponder what the blowout loss meant in the big picture. Did the Dolphins have a bad day … or are the Bills really that much better? Either way, Brian Flores has a lot of work ahead of him.” — Dan Hanzus, NFL.com
Ouch.
But here’s the problem — we really don’t know a lot about who the Dolphins are at this point. The losses often feel worse than they really are. Is that the case for Miami? Can they match wits defensively with the Raiders’ offense in Week 3? And, more importantly, can this offense find any signs of life after two relatively listless showings to start the year?
Miami has a lot of pieces in place. But the group needs better play up front to stand a chance. Maybe the Raiders are just what the doctor ordered — but based on their 2-0 start with wins over Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the Dolphins better be ready for another dogfight on Sunday in Las Vegas. Or else they’ll be even further down the power rankings next Tuesday.