2018 NFL Power Rankings Week 7: The Brock Effect

The Miami Dolphins came back to beat the Chicago Bears in a fun, overtime game on Sunday, moving to 4-2 on the season and looking more like the team we saw early in the season than the team that was on the field for a Week 4 beatdown from the New England Patriots or the team that completely collapsed in the fourth quarter in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Was it enough to regain some lost respect this season?

The 2018 NFL Power Rankings from around the web are back after missing last week. Are the Dolphins regaining any lost ground?

Below, you will find the Week 7 power rankings for the Dolphins, along with the change from last week and any write up if there was one. At the bottom of the page, we take a look at the highest single week and average ranking for Miami this year, as well as the lowest for both of those.

SB Nation - Rebecca Toback

This week: 11

Change: Up 2

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Niners Nation - David Fucillo

This week: 13

Change: —

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Bleeding Green Nation - Brandon Lee Gowton

This week: 16

Change: Up 3

Gutty win for the Dolphins to beat Chicago despite missing their starting quarterback. I’d have Miami ranked higher here but it seems like Brock Osweiler might have to play some more with Ryan Tannehill’s status unclear. We all know Osweiler isn’t a viable long-term option.

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NFL.com - Elliot Harrison

This week: 19

Change: Up 1

Second-and-8 in overtime, score knotted up at 28, ball at the Bears’ 39 ... the Dolphins were trying not to lean on QB2 Brock Osweiler. Next came an inside handoff -- and Exhibit A for why Frank Gore will end up in the Hall of Fame someday. Gore busted the inside run, cut to his left, made another cut outside, made a subtle Gore-esque move to avoid getting tackled deep in the secondary, then finally (and stubbornly) went down at the 7. The stadium erupted. (Gore became the first back to run for more than 100 yards against the Chicago defense this season.) Gore then got more work, plowing down to the 1. On third-and-goal, coach Adam Gase spelled Gore with Kenyan Drake. Drake fumbled, and the Bears recovered the football. Holy cow, what a sequence. Thank goodness Drake didn’t end up having to live with the gaffe. What a wild game in Miami. Wild win, total team effort.

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ESPN

This week: 15

Change: Up 1

Playoff chances (via FPI): 20.9 percent. The Dolphins have the second-worst pass block win rate in the NFL according to ESPN pressure metrics using NFL Next Gen Stats. They are holding their blocks within 2.5 seconds on 35 percent of pass rushes -- the average QB releases the ball in 2.5 seconds. -- Doug Clawson

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CBS Sports - Pete Prisco

This week: 11

Change: Up 4

That was a big-time victory over the Bears. But it begs this question: Do they have a quarterback controversy?

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Yahoo! Sports - Frank Schwab

This week: 16

Change: Up 2

Albert Wilson has been a nice free-agent addition: 23 catches, 15.6 yards per catch and four touchdowns. It’s surprising the Chiefs never got more out of him.

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Sporting News - Vinnie Iyer

This week: 14

Change: Up 3

What was that? The Dolphins torched a good defense with Brock Osweiler while facing a big deficit in the second half and overtime. Adam Gase is the hardest coach in the NFL to read from week to week.

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USA Today - Nate Davis

This week: 14

Change: Up 2

Brock Osweiler is your classic Band-Aid — nicely effective for a very limited period of time before it starts to look really gross.

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Bleacher Report - NFL Staff

This week: 18

Change: Up 4

The Miami Dolphins know you don’t respect them. That no one believes in them.

Apparently, they also don’t care.

The number of people who thought the Dolphins had a real shot at knocking off the Chicago Bears on Sunday numbered approximately zero. This was a Dolphins team licking its wounds after a fourth-quarter collapse in Cincinnati last week and starting Brock Osweiler at quarterback against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

So of course, Osweiler threw for 380 yards and three scores, Frank Gore topped 100 yards on the ground and the Dolphins won one of the zaniest games of the season in overtime.

It was a result that left Davenport flummoxed:

”Four wins in six games or not, I still don’t think this team is all that good. This was more about the Bears falling apart than Miami being a legit playoff contender. That Miami did this with Brock Osweiler and Frank ‘AARP’ Gore is just proof that the only certainty in the NFL is there are no certainties.”

Sobleski, on the other hand, had jokes:

”For those about to Brock, Miami salutes you. Week 6’s most stunning finish came in overtime when the Brock Osweiler-led Dolphins upset the Chicago Bears. Amazingly, Osweiler threw for 380 yards and running back Frank Gore gained 101 yards on the ground against an impressive defense. Adam Gase’s squad continues to perform above expectations.”

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The Washington Post - Mark Maske

This week: 12

Change: Up 6

Brock Osweiler was terrific filling in for Ryan Tannehill at QB in Sunday’s overtime victory over the Bears. But if Tannehill does not return soon and Osweiler remains the starter, an eventual on-field demise will be about as predictable as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s downfall was after his early-season exploits for the Bucs.

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Sports Illustrated/MMQB - MMQB Staff

This week: 14

Change: Up 3

So many Brock puns.

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Fansided - Matt Verderame

This week: 16

Change: Up 4

Brocktober!

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2018 Season

Change in average from last week: Up 2.7

Highest Weekly Ranking: Week 4 - Niners Nation / Bleeding Green Nation / CBS Sports - 4

Highest Average Ranking: Week 4 - 9.0

Lowest Weekly Ranking: Week 1 - ESPN - 32

Lowest Average Ranking: Week 1 - 27.3

Week 1 Average: 27.3
Week 2 Average: 21.7
Week 3 Average: 16.1
Week 4 Average: 9.0
Week 5 Average: 15.7
Week 6 Average: 17.2
Week 7 Average: 14.5