For the longest time, there was barely any difference between the Bears and Dolphins. They were two teams living off glory days that happened before much of their current fan base was born, drifting aimlessly without a quarterback into mediocrity and irrelevance.
But now the Bears have plunged to the bottom of the league while the Dolphins are eying a championship run. So what happened?
The Dolphins have found everything the Bears haven’t, and that starts at quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa still has to climb to prove he’s one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, but he’s well on his way. After throwing four touchdown passes in a 70-20 win over the Broncos on Sunday, he leads the league in passer rating (121.9) and is top-five in yardage, completion percentage and touchdown passes.
Even before this hot start, Tagovailoa was viable. Whereas Justin Fields struggles to reach 200 yards passing, Tagovailoa averaged that number over his first 10 starts. He had three 300-yard games over his first two seasons, while Fields has yet to hit that number and is fresh off managing just 99 on 11-for-22 passing in a blowout loss to the Chiefs.
The Dolphins have augmented Tagovailoa’s skill by putting virtually everything else in place around him. There’s clear compatibility between him and coach Mike McDaniel and they’ve surrounded him with brilliant talent. He might not ever be as good as Patrick Mahomes, but he appears to be good enough to give the Dolphins a chance against him for the next decade.
The Dolphins are No. 4 in the power rankings this week, and we’ll find out fairly soon whether they’re actually that good. They visit the Bills this week and the Eagles in Week 7, then face the Chiefs in Germany in Week 9.
A quick bounce around the league:
- There are some huge divisional games this week. In the NFC North, the Lions opened as a one-point favorite over the Packers at Lambeau Field on Thursday night. The Dolphins are a 2.5-point underdog at the Bills, while the Saints are favored by three at home against the Buccaneers.
- NBC snapped up what looked like arguably the biggest TV game of the season when it claimed Chiefs at Jets for Sunday Night Football. But with quarterback Aaron Rodgers going down with a torn Achilles, the Jets are in freefall. They went into the season No. 8 in the power rankings, which seemed low if anything, but since turning to Zach Wilson, they’ve dropped to 26th. He has a 57.0 passer rating.
- Not all slow starts are the same, and it’s hard to drop the 1-2 Bengals too far down the rankings knowing they’re talented enough to make a run at the Super Bowl this season. There’s good reason to believe Joe Burrow will have them at 4-2 when they visit the 49ers next month.
- Good news is hard to find for the Bears, but it’s to their benefit that the Panthers are nearly as bad as they are because they get Carolina’s first-round pick. The only team in the Super Bowl era to pick first and second was the Colts in 1992. The last time the Bears drafted two players in the top 10 was in 1979 when they took Dan Hampton fourth and Al Harris ninth.
Here’s how the NFL stands after three games:
1. Eagles (3-0)
They’re undefeated and it doesn’t seem like they’ve hit their stride yet.
2. 49ers (3-0)
After the mighty Eagles and 49ers, the NFC is sad.
3. Chiefs (2-1)
The Chiefs have reached a point where the regular season is just a formality.
4. Dolphins (3-0)
This will be their fourth consecutive winning season, something they haven’t done since Dave Wannstedt.
5. Bills (2-1)
They’ve allowed just 35 points in three games and have a plus-56 differential.
6. Browns (2-1)
Their defense has been overwhelming, but next they face the Ravens and 49ers.
7. Ravens (2-1)
How does a team this good lose to Gardner Minshew?
8. Lions (2-1)
Jared Goff has a 96.3 passer rating since joining the Lions.
9. Cowboys (2-1)
Do they honestly think they can challenge the Eagles in the division?
10. Bengals (1-2)
No chance Burrow keeps playing as badly as he has so far.
11. Seahawks (2-1)
Time to rack up wins: They don’t see the 49ers until Thanksgiving.
12. Packers (2-1)
Jordan Love rallied from down 17 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Saints.
13. Jaguars (1-2)
Getting thumped by Houston was surprising after the Jaguars pushed the Chiefs to the brink.
14. Chargers (1-2)
Hard to tell if they’re actually good. Always has been.
15. Saints (2-1)
Remember, it might take only eight wins to capture the NFC South.
16. Steelers (2-1)
Looking for their 20th consecutive season at .500 or better.
17. Colts (2-1)
The Colts hope to get rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson back this week.
18. Falcons (2-1)
They had 183 yards of offense and six points against the Lions.
19. Buccaneers (2-1)
Baker Mayfield had 317 yards against the Bears, 319 in his other two games combined.
20. Commanders (2-1)
The Bears have a quick turnaround with a visit to the Commanders next Thursday.
21. Patriots (1-2)
Mac Jones is not the answer at quarterback. Time to reset.
22. Rams (1-2)
Fifth-round pick Puka Nacua is fourth in the league in yards receiving at 338.
23. Giants (1-2)
Only the Bears have a worse point differential than the Giants’ minus-55.
24. Cardinals (1-2)
Oops! The Cardinals forgot they were tanking and beat the Cowboys.
25. Texans (1-2)
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has 906 yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions.
26. Jets (1-2)
At least they get to keep their 2024 first-round pick, which will be high.
27. Titans (1-2)
Ryan Tannehill looks like he’ll be benched soon for Malik Willis.
28. Raiders (1-2)
The Raiders come to Soldier Field in three weeks.
29. Vikings (0-3)
Their 13-4 record last season felt fraudulent, and it’s clear now they’re in decline.
30. Broncos (0-3)
The only solace to giving up 70 points is knowing they get the Bears next.
31. Panthers (0-3)
Andy Dalton threw for 361 yards, but it took him 58 passes to get there.
32. Bears (0-3)
Try naming something they’re doing well.
