Tag: 2022 power rankings

Dolphins remain in top-10 in power rankings despite Week 15 loss

No change from Week 14 rankings.

The Miami Dolphins were defeated by the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, handing them their third straight loss to postseason contenders on the road. However, they did look better in this game than they had in the previous two.

Throughout the year, Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane has been producing weekly NFL power rankings, and even though they lost another contest, Mike McDaniel’s team remained at No. 9.

Here’s what Lane wrote about Miami this week:

“The Dolphins have made impressive strides in their first year with Mike McDaniel. Miami will have to take the wild-card route if they want to go deep into the playoffs. The Dolphins took the Bills down to the wire and also showed they can bring their style of play on the road regardless of how frightful the weather is outside.”

Ahead of the Dolphins are the Philadelphia Eagles (13-1), San Francisco 49ers (10-4), Buffalo Bills (11-3), Minnesota Vikings (11-3), Kansas City Chiefs (11-3), Cincinnati Bengals (10-4), Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) and Detroit Lions (7-7).

The Lions are probably a bit high, but they’ve put together a solid stretch. If Miami can defeat the Green Bay Packers in Week 16, they should jump up again.

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Dolphins crack top 10 again in Touchdown Wire power rankings

Everything’s starting to feel better.

The Miami Dolphins were able to squeak out of Week 9 with a 35-32 victory over the Chicago Bears, meaning they’ve earned their second three-game winning streak of the season.

Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane has been producing weekly NFL power rankings, and after the Dolphins had fallen as low as No. 19 after losing for the third time in as many weeks, Mike McDaniel’s team has found their way back up to eighth.

Here’s what Lane wrote about Miami after their third win in a row:

“The Dolphins offense appears they can score on virtually every possession, and with being seventh in the NFL with 213 points, that may not be too far fetched. So what if rookie coach Mike McDaniel can’t win with backups? He can dominate with Tua Tagovailoa, which makes Miami an interesting challenging to the Buffalo Bills’ supremacy in the AFC East.”

This position feels about right for the Dolphins. However, ahead of them are the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans.

The Eagles are undefeated and the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, which will always earn them respect, but Miami has beaten three of the remaining teams already this season and their lone loss of the group was to Minnesota without Tua Tagovailoa.

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Dolphins soar to new heights in Touchdown Wire power rankings

Another impressive jump for Mike McDaniel’s team.

After their hard-fought victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, the Miami Dolphins have gone 3-0 in their first three weeks, and they’re getting a lot of love from the national media.

Touchdown Wire’s Mark Lane has been producing weekly NFL power rankings, and after having the Dolphins start the season at No. 20, Miami has crawled all the way to the top spot heading into Week 4.

Here’s what Lane wrote about the Dolphins after their gritty victory:

“The quality of the opponents for Miami has been strong through the first three weeks. They beat a ghost from the past 20 years in Week 1, overcame an extremely explosive offense in Week 2, and took down one of the favorites in the AFC, let alone their own division. It may be September, but the Dolphins are showing they may be for real. As with every team, the question will become how they handle the attrition of a 17-game slate. As September ends, it is hard to argue against the Dolphins’ greatness.”

Miami is receiving a ton of respect from Lane here, as they’re one of two undefeated teams left in the NFL. Considering how close their game last week was, it wouldn’t be blasphemous to still have a team like the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills ahead of them. However, the Dolphins now sit atop the league, according to Touchdown Wire, and are set for a big primetime matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday.

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The entirely-too-soon NFL power rankings for 2022

A proper, too-early look at 2022’s NFL pecking order.

The 2021 NFL season is behind us. The faithful who stuck it out for all 27 weeks ranging from the Hall of Fame Game to the Super Bowl will now be rewarded with four months of free agent deals and baseless draft speculation.

There’s a long, long way to go before the 2022 season kicks off. Fortunately, we’ve already got a good idea of the teams who’ll be in contention for 14 playoff spots or a coveted selection at the top of next year’s draft. Some franchises have entrenched quarterbacks and valid Super Bowl hopes. Others enter the offseason in various stages of rebuild.

A lot can happen in the course of an offseason. The Bengals found the pieces to build around Joe Burrow and mount a run to Super Bowl 56. Other teams — primarily the Jaguars — wind up in stasis, trapped in the inertia that leaves them unable to change their course of direction in a single year.

Let’s dive in and see where all 32 NFL teams stand now that the final whistle’s been blown on the 2021 season. Teams got extra credit for quarterback and coaching stability, along with their ability to add talent this spring. We’ll start at the bottom.