The Miami Dolphins’ Week 1 loss in Las Vegas sent them tumbling to 31st in Joe Schad’s NFL power rankings, a harsh early snapshot after a 27-13 defeat to the Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Miami’s first chance to steady things comes quickly. The Dolphins stay on the West Coast this week and head to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Schad’s Top 32 after Sunday’s Week 1 slate puts the Dolphins just ahead of the Cleveland Browns and behind the Tennessee Titans. At the top, the Seattle Seahawks open at No. 1 after going 1-0, followed by the Buffalo Bills at No.
- The Denver Broncos sit at No. 3 with “MNF” noted next to their name, and the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles round out the top five.
The 49ers, Miami’s next opponent, come in at No. 6 after opening 1-0. Other notable spots in the rankings include the Los Angeles Rams at No. 7, the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 8, the Houston Texans at No. 9, and the New England Patriots at No. 10.
Further down the list, the Kansas City Chiefs are 16th with “MNF” beside them, while the Las Vegas Raiders check in at No. 26 after their win over Miami. The Arizona Cardinals are 27th, the Atlanta Falcons 28th, the New Orleans Saints 29th, and the Titans 30th.
For the Dolphins, the message from Week 1 is simple: the margin for error disappeared fast. A trip to San Francisco will show whether that opening loss was just a rough start or the first real warning sign of the season.
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Even so, Miami fans have not turned sour on the direction of the franchise. In SB Nation Reacts polling, roughly 79-80% of Dolphins supporters have said the team is headed the right way, and that feeling has held steady from preseason into the regular season. For a fan base staring at a difficult stretch, that kind of patience stands out, especially with confidence in AFC East rivals running higher for Buffalo and New England and lower for the Jets. [Read more 🡒]
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Dolphins Loss Exposed Problems Miami Fans Were Hoping Not To See
The Dolphins 2026 opener in Las Vegas did not take long to reveal the kinds of issues Miami was hoping would stay buried until deeper into the season. In a 27-13 loss to the Raiders, the defense never found a steady answer for the home offense, the pass rush lacked bite, and special teams gave up too much ground on return plays. Miami did manage to show a little life with a second-half touchdown drive, but the broader picture was one of a team that spent too much of the afternoon chasing the game.
For a fan base that wanted cleaner tackling and more stability in the kicking game, the early returns were hard to ignore. Missed tackles showed up alongside the coverage problems, and the Raiders were able to build comfortable field position far too often. The Dolphins have only one game on the books, but the opener already put a spotlight on the same areas that can change the tone of a season quickly if they are not cleaned up. [Read more 🡒]