The Miami Dolphins got close to a win on Sunday than the team has been all season. 

After the defense produced four sacks on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray, Miami nearly put it all together. The issue is that the offense continues to lag behind, leading to the 15-10 final score.

The Dolphins remain 0-4, but they are starting to see a bit more respect in the national power rankings.

After the near-win, the Dolphins moved up from No. 30 to No. 29 on NFL.com's recent power rankings. The publication points to the long-term plan that head coach Jeff Hafley has been building.

It may be a slow burn to see success on the field, but Miami's latest loss points to some growth.

Yahoo! Sports has Miami remaining at the bottom for obvious reasons. The team is still 0-4, and the struggles on offense are too hard to ignore. 

Rookie receiver Chris Bell barely stepped out of bounds, negating a huge touchdown that may have won the game for the Dolphins. However, he shouldn't be the only player helping to get points on the board.

ESPN has a similar feeling to Yahoo's, in that the Dolphins remain 0-4. A win would have helped their case, but the slow progress is not enough to rank this team higher.

The uptick in sacks and the overall defensive performance are starting to make more people believe. If Miami can pull off an upset win on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, that could be the catalyst for more victories.

The Athletic has kept the Dolphins at No. 31. The downfalls of the team are well-known, but again, the growth is starting to show. 

Hafley and the coaching staff need to simply put the team in a better position offensively, and the losing streak could be snapped sooner rather than later. 

Everyone expected that the Dolphins would be a team that struggled in 2026, due to the schedule, miles traveled, and more. That feeling has been proven true over four weeks, but the team also showed plenty of fight against the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings.

A win feels like it is coming, but the Dolphins will likely still finish with a sub .500 record. Hafley said himself that this season is not about wins or losses. The good news for this young team is that the future talent is blossoming in a big way, i.e., Jacob Rodriguez.