NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Dolphins stable in the middle of the pack

The Miami Dolphins have a 7-6 record through 14 weeks of the 2014 NFL season. Their playoff hopes are relying on a lot of help from other AFC teams in order to climb back into the Wildcard position they held just last week. Things are not trending in the right way for Miami as the season heads into the final three weeks, and the Dolphins are again looking like just another team in the NFL.

To get a better idea of exactly how people outside the Miami fan base view the 2014 version of the Dolphins, I went to three bigger websites' Week 15 Power Rankings to see how far down the list we would find the Dolphins. Interestingly, all three agreed on the exact same ranking for Miami heading into their second showdown with the Patriots: 15th.

SB Nation
NFL Power Rankings, Week 15
Dolphins: 15th

The Chiefs, Texans, Dolphins, Rams, Bills, 49ers and Browns all have somewhat similar identities. All these teams feature ball-control offenses and, with the exception of probably the Dolphins, feature either struggling or subpar quarterbacks, buoyed by tough, physical, punch-you-in-the-mouth defenses.

Until they can capture more consistency and effectiveness on the offensive side of the ball, these teams, all with 7-6 or 6-7 records, seem destined to remain in the middle of the pack. They all have strong, hardy defenses that could help them make some noise down the homestretch, though, so they are not the types of teams to overlook either.

NFL.com
NFL Power Rankings, Week 15
Dolphins: 15th

The Dolphins continue to make their backers absolutely bonkers. This team has cornered the market on mediocrity since Y2K, or at least given Nic Cage a run for his money. Spoke with a Dolphins beat writer Sunday morning who told me the club views Lamar Miller as someone who gets weaker as the game progresses, hence the limited carries. Methinks running the football 18 to 20 times -- especially given Miller's 4.8 yards-per-carry mark -- would slow down pass rushes like the Ravens'.

ESPN
2014 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15
Dolphins: 15th

Ryan Tannehill just missed a sixth straight game with a 70-plus completion percentage, the longest streak in Dolphins history. Tannehill completed 69.7 percent of his passes Sunday.

What do you think of the 15th position for Miami?