The Miami Dolphins are stuck at 31st in Joe Schad’s Week 3 NFL power rankings after opening the season 0-2, and there isn’t much wiggle room left after Sunday’s 35-13 loss at the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 20.
Miami now turns to its home opener, a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Sept. 27.
At the top of Schad’s latest Top 32, the Buffalo Bills sit at No. 1 at 2-0, followed by the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers’ win over Miami kept them at No. 3, while the Chiefs remain in the top five as they prepare to face the Dolphins next.
The rest of the upper tier features the Los Angeles Rams at No. 6, the New England Patriots at No. 7, the Minnesota Vikings at No. 8, the Baltimore Ravens at No. 9 and the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 10.
Below that, the rankings continue with the Denver Broncos at No. 11, Dallas Cowboys at No.
12, Green Bay Packers at No. 13, Detroit Lions at No.
14, Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 15, Carolina Panthers at No.
16, Las Vegas Raiders at No. 17, Chicago Bears at No. 18 and New Orleans Saints at No.
The bottom third of the list includes the Houston Texans at No. 20, Indianapolis Colts at No.
21, New York Jets at No. 22, Pittsburgh Steelers at No.
23, New York Giants at No. 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No.
25, Washington Commanders at No. 26, Los Angeles Chargers at No.
27, Arizona Cardinals at No. 28, Tennessee Titans at No. 29 and Cleveland Browns at No.
Miami is just ahead of the Atlanta Falcons, who check in at No. 32.
Schad also listed a key offseason addition for each team, with Malik Willis named for the Dolphins.
In Other News...
Dolphins Blowout Loss Put One Rookie At The Center Of A Bigger Question
The Dolphins 35-13 loss to the 49ers was rough in plenty of places, but it also put a spotlight on one of the few bright spots from a rookie who has already started to carve out a role. Jacob Rodriguez followed up his Week 1 showing with 8 combined tackles against San Francisco, another active day for a first-year linebacker trying to find his footing while Miami searches for answers elsewhere on defense.
Rodriguezs early production matters because the Dolphins need young players to keep growing if they want the roster to take shape the way they hope. In a game where the final margin told the bigger story, his workload and tackle total stood out as a reminder that Miamis future may depend as much on rookie development as on fixing what went wrong in the present. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Could Turn Useful Depth Into Something Bigger At The Deadline
The Dolphins have enough roster depth to at least start listening as the NFL trade deadline approaches, and that makes a few familiar names worth watching. Austin Jacksons contract status gives Miami a natural lever if it wants to reshape the offensive line picture, while younger pieces such as Chop Robinson, Kenneth Grant and Jaylen Wright could draw interest because they still carry upside and team control.
Miamis situation is the kind that can create real deadline movement: useful players, a front office willing to think in draft picks, and other teams always searching for help before the stretch run. The question is not whether those names make sense on paper, but whether the Dolphins are willing to turn depth into something bigger when the offers get serious. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Have One Bigger Problem Than Their 0-2 Start
Through two weeks of the 2026 season, the AFC East already has a clear front-runner and a clear team trying to dig out of an early hole. The Bills sit atop the division at 2-0, backed by strong play from Josh Allen and a defense that has set the tone, while the Jets and Patriots have landed in the middle at 1-1 and at least shown signs they can stay in the race. Miami, meanwhile, is stuck at the bottom after an 0-2 start and an offense that has yet to find much traction.
The record is the easy part to see, but the bigger concern for the Dolphins is the way the start has looked. In a division where the margins already feel tight, Miami is not just chasing wins, it is chasing a version of itself that can keep pace with the teams around it. The early rankings make that gap obvious, and they leave the Dolphins needing a fast answer before the season starts to harden around them. [Read more 🡒]