2021 NFL Power Rankings, Week 4: Rams claim top spot, Steelers and Bears plummet

When it was announced that Tua Tagovailoa would be out for at least three weeks after being placed on IR with a rib injury, it seemed as if hope was lost for the Miami Dolphins for the immediate future, even with veteran Jacoby Brissett set to take over as the backup.

And to be sure, Brissett was largely uninspiring in Week 3 against the Raiders. He was a bit too conservative until late in the game when he was forced to push the ball downfield a bit more and that hindered the offense at times. But a strong Dolphins defensive performance and a clutch run and two-point conversion from Brissett forced overtime against a good Las Vegas team.

Now, Miami was definitely playing with fire for much of the game. They jumped out to a 14-0 lead after an 85-yard pick-six from Elandon Roberts and then a big run from Malcolm Brown. After that, though, the Raiders scored 25 unanswered points to ultimately force the Dolphins to come back and force the extra period, where the Dolphins matched field goals to start but couldn’t stave off the final game-winning field goal drive.

Still, with the deck stacked against them, Brian Flores’ team showed a ton of heart and pushed a 3-0 team to the brink. That says a lot about the make-up of Miami and gives hope that they can weather the storm with Tua on the sidelines.