Dolphins Week 5 Power Rankings Roundup: Baby Steps Recognized

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Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connectbut after their closest call yet this season they're inching their way out of the bottom of the NFL power rankings.

The Dolphins finished just one point behind the Tennessee Titans in our weekly survey of national outlets — Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, The Athletic, NFL.com, USA Today, Pro Football Talk, FOX Sports, The Sporting News, CBS Sports — with an average ranking of 31.4 compared to 31.3 for the AFC South team. The average ranking position for Miami's Week 5 opponents, the Cincinnati Bengals, was 14.2 after their loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium on Sunday dropped them to 2-2 on the season.

Before we get to our weekly rundown of the Dolphins placement in the rankings with the accompanying commentary, we'll again examine the other winless teams. The Dolphins were one of five teams that started 0-3 along with the Houston Texans, Titans, Los Angeles Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and remarkably all five of them lost in Week 4.

In a quick ranking of most disappointing starts among the winless teams, based on preseason expectations, the distinction of ranking at the top there comes down to either Houston, which some analysts had pegged as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, or the Chargers, whose offense was supposed to ignite with former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their new OC but instead has been a comedy of errors. We are assured of having no more than four teams without a win after Week 5, barring a tie, because Houston and Tennessee will be facing each other.

The Dolphins will be at home against Cincinnati, the Chargers will be at home against Denver, and Tampa Bay is playing the Thursday night game at Dallas. Their offense finally showed signs of life in the second half of their Week 4 loss at Seattle, but they already trailed 27-6 by that point. It was bad enough again Sunday that head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked about McDaniel's job security in the aftermath. Houston wasted C.J.

Stroud's best performance of the season because its vaunted defense couldn't stop Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. The Bucs are in a major trouble with QB Baker Mayfield expected to miss a few more games and the current option at quarterback being undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels.

The Titans gave the Baltimore Ravens a pretty good game in Week 4, but couldn't overcome mistake like running back Tony Pollard deflecting a shovel pass from Cam Ward into the arms of a defender for an interception. The Dolphins gave themselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter their last two games, and now it's a matter of being able to finish.

The Dolphins played with more defensive energy in Minnesota and are trying to do what they can with now Malik Willis and Ollie Gordon II leading the offense. They still are dealing with an overall talent deficiency from week to week. Their offense is so limited right now, which showed up against the Vikings. The defense actually played a solid game and kept them in it.

Yes, they’re movin’ on up! But don’t get comfy up this high. They still stink. And they’re probably still the worst team in football.

But they deserve a reward for pushing an undefeated Vikings team to the limit. They only lost by five points . RB Ollie Gordon did a nice job replacing the injured DeVon Achane .

But QB Malik Willis is still as bad as many of us thought he’d be. Haters who haven’t watched the Dolphins will call them the worst team in the league. I am not a hater. Miami is on a slow-but-steady track of improvement, showing signs of progress with each week.

It's still a low-ceiling offense and the team remains winless, but I see the vision Jeff Hafley has for the Fins. Without De’Von Achane, Ollie Gordon ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, while the defense looked good against the Vikings. They’re a rebuilding team headed for an ugly record, but there have been some brief moments of hope along the way.

Through the first two weeks of the season, the Dolphins looked like they weren't ready to compete. In Weeks 3 and 4, however, their defense pushed a pair of undefeated division leaders to the brink. On Sunday, the Dolphins recorded 17 pressures and four sacks -- their first sacks of the season -- while holding an admittedly struggling Minnesota offense out of the end zone. First-year coach Jeff Hafley said his team is "starting to believe.

" Rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said the team is close to its first win: "The physicality and the want-to are there. ... We've just got to learn how to win.

"Until Miami gets a win, this will become a Jacob Rodriguez bot account. I have Rodriguez right there in the Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation. The Dolphins battled at Minnesota, and if they didn't get unlucky on Chris Bell barely stepping out of bounds before catching a long touchdown and getting an illegal touching penalty, maybe they'd have a win. But it's another loss, and Miami's offense is still hard to watch.

Unfortunately for Dolphins fans, it's a familiar feeling. Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI, host of the All Dolphins Podcast, and co-host of the Dolphins Collective. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website.

In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls , the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between.

The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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