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Back-to-back blowout wins by the Miami Dolphins has people starting to take notice of a team that just three weeks ago was the laughing stock of the league. Firing Joe Philbin and promoting Dan Campbell has proven to be a smart move for the franchise. Now, they will face the New England Patriots in the toughest matchup yet for Campbell's Dolphins in a Thursday Night Football contest this week.
Before we get to there, however, we still need to take our weekly tour around the internet's 2015 NFL Power Rankings. The Dolphins are climbing back up most rankings, having dropped to near the bottom of the league in the midst of their three-game losing streak. Wins of 38-10 over the Tennessee Titans and 44-26 over the Houston Texans are helping the once struggling franchise to find their footing and their confidence.
Let's take a look at the rankings:
SB Nation
Rank: 16
Change: +5
The Dolphins look like a new team under interim head coach Dan Campbell and delivered an insane performance in the first half against the Texans. They jumped out to a 41-0 lead in the first 30 minutes before coasting to an easy win at home. They improve to 3-3 and finally look like a team that many of us thought they could be this year -- a group that could challenge the Patriots in the AFC East.
Mile High Report
Rank: 17
Change: -3
At one point, the Miami Dolphins led 41-0 in the first half. The first half. In the second half, the coaches played it very conservatively to avoid embarrassing their opponent even more. How very un-Patriot like of them. Before you all get too excited though, Peter King shared this tidbit in his weekly MMQB post, "Who cares? He's beaten Tennessee and Houston, and they stink." I'll ignore that his point is the opposite of my point, because that statement is fact.
ESPN
Rank: 13
Change: +8
Dan Campbell's Dolphins have produced 82 points in two games, scoring 30-plus points in consecutive games for the first time since 2009. Joe Philbin's Dolphins scored 65 points in four games this season.
NFL.com
Rank: 17
Change: +5
Holy Dan Campbell, the Dolphins look fantastic. Savvy move, Miami management, to make the coaching change with a bye and two dumpster-fire teams on the horizon. Good stuff. After Sunday's shellacking of the Texans, Ryan Tannehill looked happier than a 100 millionaire who just bought an "Eight Is Enough" button-down and wore it to the postgame. And why shouldn't he? Twenty-five completions in a row, a running game and a pass rush. Christmas comes early for RT. The Jarvis Landry touchdown was equal parts brilliant running after the catch and poor tackling. Can we get some Next Gen stats on that play? Landry ran, like, 203 yards on a 50-yard catch-and-run. Even some D-lineman named Ndamukong had two sacks. Great day for that developmental prospect.
Yahoo Sports
Rank: 14
Change: +4
The Dan Campbell Dolphins would easily be in the top 10. They've been a powerhouse for two straight weeks. But you can't ignore how they rolled over the first four weeks to get Joe Philbin fired.
CBS Sports
Rank: 13
Change: +10
Dan Campbell has turned this team around in a big way. Now comes a huge reality check: At New England.
MLive.com
Rank: 13
Change: +5
Whatever Dan Campbell is doing with the Dolphins, it's working. Miami has outscored their past two opponents, 82-36.
Pro Football Talk
Rank: 12
Change: +3
Those back-to-back wins won’t mean anything if the Dolphins get thumped on Thursday night in Foxborough.
Washington Post
Rank: 12
Change: +2
It has been a very nice two-game turnaround for the Dolphins under Dan Campbell, their interim coach. Now things get serious with a short work week and a Thursday night game at New England. It’s time for Ndamukong Suh to be the player that the Dolphins signed him to be. He finally gave indications Sunday that is possible. Now he must do it consistently and come to play in a meaningful game Thursday.
FanSpeak
Rank: 14
Change: +8
What an incredible difference in this team over the past two weeks under new coach Dan Campbell. While they haven’t been challenged yet, they are playing far better than the first 4 weeks of the season. Their offense is finally clicking and the defense has been exceptional the last two weeks.