The Dolphins move up the rankings despite their latest loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Miami Dolphins may have spoiled the return of Tua Tagovailoa in their 28-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but they at least found a sense of normalcy on offense amid the chaos of the last four weeks.
While the offense more than doubled its scoring output compared to the Tagovailoa-less games, the defense could not hold up their side of the bargain and looked like Swiss cheese for the whole second half.
Nevertheless, the Dolphins should feel optimistic about their team in general with Tagovailoa commanding the offense and showing little to no rust, but they’re staring down the barrel of back-to-back tough road games against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and the Los Angeles Rams the following week on Monday Night Football.
The Dolphins are historically horrible against the Bills and on prime time, so it’s not looking good for the Dolphins faithful, but with ten games left, anything can happen, especially if they can get over the hump on beating the Bills in Buffalo, a feat they haven’t done since 2016.
Either way, the Dolphins are night and day with Tagovailoa in the lineup, and despite the loss, the Dolphins are moving up the ranks.
NFL
- Ranked #23 – Previously ranked #25 (+2)
“Tua Tagovailoa’s return to action after missing four games with a concussion was an overwhelming success in the sense that he played well, clearly didn’t suffer from rustiness and took only three hits and one sack in his 38-pass outing. If it’s wins you’re looking for, though, then Sunday wasn’t quite as positive, as the Dolphins were handed a fifth loss in their last six games. There were still a few offensive hiccups here and there, and don’t forget Aaron Brewer’s high shotgun snap over Tua’s head, which led to an Arizona safety that got the Cardinals back in the game. But all in all, the operation with Tagovailoa at QB was night-and-day different from how things went under any of his replacements during his absence. Miami’s pass defense just happened to have its worst game of the season, even while pressuring Kyler Murray at a decent rate.”
ESPN
- Ranked #23 – Previously ranked #25 (+2)
“Campbell joined the team late in the offseason, but the 17-year veteran has been one of the Dolphins’ best players this season. The 38-year-old leads the team in sacks (two), quarterback hits (five) and tackles for a loss (seven), and he ranks fifth in the NFL in pass rush win rate as an interior defender (13.3%). His 41% run stop win rate is tied for eight-best best in the league for any position and would represent the third-best mark of his career (if it holds) since 2017.” — Marcel Louis-Jacques
CBS Sports
- Ranked #30 – Previously ranked #29 (-1)
“That was a horrible home loss to the Cardinals on the day Tua Tagovailoa returned to the lineup. They are in big trouble as they head out to face the Bills this week.”
Bleacher Report
- Ranked #23 – Previously ranked #24 (+1)
“The good news for the Miami Dolphins is the team got quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back Sunday and scored their most points of the season.
The bad news is Miami didn’t score as many points as Arizona, and at 2-5, the Dolphins’ chances of making a playoff run are rapidly dwindling.
Despite the loss, both coaches and players alike tried to put a positive spin on Tagovailoa’s return while addressing the media.
“He came back and got the offense going. That was a beautiful thing to see,” wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. “We scored some points today, so that’s a positive.”
“I think the biggest thing was he knew his teammates were going to give him a chance to play a pretty clean game,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “He had a good amount of clean pockets, and when he didn’t, he was decisive and kept himself out of harm’s way.”
Now the team needs to start stacking some wins—quickly.
Analyst’s Take
“Tua Tagovailoa played well in his first game since he suffered a concussion in Week 2, but he didn’t do enough to get the Dolphins back in the win column.
Miami’s pass defense had arguably its worst game of the season, giving up 111-plus receiving yards to two pass-catchers, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride.
“If the Dolphins intend to make a midseason run for a wild-card playoff spot, they have little room for error.” — Moton
Sports Illustrated
- Ranked #24 – Previously ranked #24 (<—>)
“The return of Tua Tagovailoa, it turns out, didn’t fix all of the Dolphins’ problems, and now they’re staring at the possibility of being 2-6 at the trade deadline unless they can pull off an upset at Buffalo, where they haven’t won since 2016. Fun times.” —Alain Poupart
Fox Sports
- Ranked #25 – Previously ranked #30 (+5)
“I have no problem bumping the Dolphins this high up after a loss because they finally looked like a viable NFL team. Tua Tagovailoa gives Miami a chance to compete, which we couldn’t say while he was hurt.”
The consensus here is that the Dolphins are trending back toward the middle of the pack. They’re a team that dealt with an injury at the most important position, a failure of a backup plan, and racked up tough losses during that time.
With Tagovailoa back, they lost to the Cardinals, but it felt more like a “slipped out of their fingers” type of loss where they were the better team, and coasted rather than finishing Arizona off. It’s a type of loss that hits all good-to-great teams, but when you’re 2-4, it can’t happen.
The Dolphins have a tough schedule left, and if they somehow get to the playoffs, it’ll be due to Tagovailoa going on a big run and a lot of luck.
As of now, the Miami Dolphins 2024 season is on its last legs.
Let us know in the comments where you think the Miami Dolphins should be ranked in the NFL power rankings.
