Where are the Miami Dolphins in our 1st 2016 power ranking
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins will kick-off their 2016 season on Sunday with a trip to Seattle. Power rankings for week one are starting to pop up as well. Like here, on this site.
Live Feed
FanSided
Power rankings have absolutely zero impact on a season. They are perfect however for those who like to gamble a bit and have little idea of who is good or not.
They are also, simply, something fun to debate between fans. So here is our first power ranking of the year.
1: Carolina Panthers: The Panthers lost in the Super Bowl but they didn’t lose their starting quarterback. Can they repeat? That will depend on their defense.
2: Arizona Cardinals: Last year the Cardinals came one game away from playing in the Super Bowl and they should be able to push for a birth this year.
3: Seattle Seahawks: It’s hard to predict what the Seahawks can or can not do because they can still be little inconsistent at times. Just when you think they are going to win, they lose.
4: Denver Broncos: Is the Bronco defense still as good as it was last year? Denver fans better hope so because the quarterback position is a big question mark this year.
5: Pittsburgh Steelers: All signs are pointing to a very strong season by the Steelers. Both sides of the ball are strong and they have a good shot of challenging for the top spot in the AFC.
6: Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs defense looks like they are ready to take over the AFC West and the offense should continue to do enough to keep games close and win them. Could be a very tough road for the others in the West this year.
7: Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers is back and the Pack will get Jordy Nelson back as well. Hopefully Eddie Lacy can finally live up to the expectations.
8: New England Patriots: Really don’t know how to rank them yet. Their defense could be really good or just average and without Tom Brady for four weeks, who knows what the team dynamic will be. It’s not like they have a stellar running back on the roster.
9: Cincinnati Bengals: Can Andy Dalton finally get the Bengals deep into the playoffs? He has all the tools and surrounding cast.
10: Oakland Raiders: The Raiders have gotten better on defense and Derek Carr looks like he is ready to take the next step. With Amari Cooper and Latavious Murray along with the resurfacing of Michael Crabtree, the Raiders are going to give the Chiefs a good run.
11: Minnesota Vikings: Even with the loss of Teddy Bridgewater the Vikings are going to be tough in the NFC North. Adrian Peterson is still a force and the Vikings are hoping that Sam Bradford can remember how to play.
12: Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys don’t have Tony Romo for the first part of the season but that may not be a bad thing. The best offensive line, top wide-receivers and a good defense can win you a championship. Even with a guy named Dak.
13: Washington Redskins: I suppose of the Raiders moved up this far over last year, it’s not a big deal that Washington has. The Redskins have a good chance to take the division in the NFC West this year but that will hinge on the maturation of Kirk Cousins.
"14: Miami Dolphins: It’s probablly a little high but when compared to the teams below this spot I think Miami has as much going for them as the others do and Adam Gase’s offense is going to wear down opposing defenses."
15: New York Jets: The Jets are good enough to give a lot of their fans hope before they take it all away. I suspect the Jets will climb the rankings pretty quickly though.
16: Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens defense should be better but questions still remain on offense.
17: Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck is back but the Colts defense is still a problem. Can they put up a bunch of points?
18: Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles could be the real deal in Jacksonville and their duo of receivers, Robinson and Hurns is top of the line. Their defense is getting better too.
19: Houston Texans: Not sure JJ Watt will hold up all year with his back injury and Brock Osweiler is going to have some groing pains. It might be a Lamar Miller heavy season.
20: Atlana Falcons: Matt Ryan hasn’t looked good in pre-season but he plays better in the regular season and they have duo of solid runners and receivers. Their defense has to get better.
21: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Can Jameis Winston lead his team to a division title or a wild card birth? Not this year.
22: Detroit Lions: No Megatron and an inconstent Matt Stafford is going to make for a long season…again.
23: New Orleans Saints: The defense is scary bad, or it was last year. Drew Brees is still good.
24: Los Angeles Rams: The Rams have one of the best running backs in the league and it pretty much ends right there.
25: Chicago Bears: The Bears should climb this list but not out of the teens. John Fox is a good coach but he is not that good of a coach.
26: Buffalo Bills: At least Rex Ryan and his brother Rob will keep things interesting.
27: New York Giants: The Giants spent a lot of money this off-season but us Dolphins fans know what that translates to on the field.
28: Philadelphia Eagles: It’s a new era in Philly with Doug Pederson. Yes the same Doug Pederson who was a quarterback with the Dolphins. No more Chip Kelly offense, it will be a traditional offense and it won’t be pretty for a little while.
29: San Diego Chargers: They weren’t very good last year and they didn’t change a lot this year.
30: Tennessee Titans: DeMarco Murray will join Marcus Mariota and it should be a lot better than a 30th rank.
31: San Francisco: At least they are getting some national attention.
32: Cleveland Browns: No jokes. I have a friend who is a Browns fan. I feel really bad for him.