Dolphins 2025 Week 2 Power Rankings Roundup

The Miami Dolphins suffered the most lopsided loss in the NFL in Week 1, so it should surprise no one their national reputation took a hit with that 33-8 nightmare at Indianapolis.

In our weekly survey of nine national outlets — Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, NFL.com, The Athletic, ESPN, The Ringer, USA Today and The Sporting News — the Dolphins actually were deemed the worst team in the league by three of them and not ranked higher than 26th by any.

Even The Athletic, which has easily the highest ranking for the Dolphins heading into Week 1 at number 19, abandoned them and dropped them all the way down to 32.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' nine power rankings spots heading into Week 2 of the 2025 regular season, along with the commentary associated with it:

THE DOLPHINS IN NATIONAL POWER RANKINGS

Sports Illustrated

Ranking: 31
Last week: 28

Analysis: It’s never a good idea to overreact to one bad loss, especially in the Wild West that is Week 1. Miami’s defeat at the hands of the Colts was different. This team was undisciplined, listless and regressive (not to mention very, very injured). In a football town with big expectations, can fans sit patiently through an agonizing season?

Pro Football Talk

Ranking: 32
Last week: 29

Analysis: This is going to be a shame.pprifasdorus

CBS Sports

Ranking: 28
Last week: 25

Analysis: Their play in the blowout loss to the Colts was awful. The seat under Mike McDaniel is torrid now.

NFL.com

Ranking: 28
Last week: 24

Analysis: In what has become something of a celebrated tradition here at the Power Rankings, a team that I preemptively bump up for vibes will come back to bite me hard. That team, ladies and gents, is the Dolphins. Sure, it was only a one-spot improvement last week, mostly because I wondered if all the preseason anxiety over Miami went a little overboard. Fact check: It didn’t, at least if Week 1 is any indication. I thought about dropping them all the way to 32. After all, that’s how they played against the Colts. I won’t belabor it; we all saw how ugly that game was for Mike McDaniel’s squad. In the end, the Fins received a stay before being banished to the basement, but I must emphasize just how much willpower that required. There was almost nothing redeeming from that game for Miami.

The Ringer

Ranking: 28
Last week: 27

Analysis: This offseason, the entire Dolphins franchise acknowledged a need to toughen up and take accountability for their mistakes. But losing to Indianapolis like this has to feel like an instant backbreaker. Miami was soundly dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put up one of his career-worst showings, and receiver Tyreek Hill has already been caught throwing a fit on the sideline. Things may crater quickly in Miami.

USA Today

Ranking: 32
Last week: 28

Analysis: What did we learn about this team? Honestly not much … aside from the fact that the Fins have a second-year corner named Storm Duck on the roster. Feels like a storm − and maybe a lot of duck bombs −is coming Miami's way.

The Sporting News

Ranking: 31
Last week: 27

Analysis: The Dolphins broke down badly offensively in Indianapolis with Tua Tagovailoa having a meltdown. It didn't help him that the defense put him in an impossible hole in making the Colts do anything they wanted.

The Athletic

Ranking: 32
Last week: 19

Analysis: The Dolphins didn’t make it three quarters before it looked like their players were ready for the season to end. Just a total disaster. If things don’t change quickly, Mike McDaniel could be the first coach to be fired this season.

ESPN

Ranking: 26
Last week: 22

Analysis on best newcomer performance: There weren't a lot of things that went right Sunday, but Douglas entering the game after an injury to Storm Duck was one of them. Douglas made the most of his abrupt playing time, breaking up a pass in the first half and allowing just two catches on four targets. He has been in this system for only two weeks, but the Dolphins will need him moving forward. Duck is expected to miss multiple games nfl with his injury.

THE DOLPHINS OPPONENT RANKINGS

For the record, the Dolphins' upcoming opponent, the New England Patriots, have an average ranking of 25.9 (the same as Week 1 opponent Indianapolis before that game), with a high of 24 and a low of 28.

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