AFC East Power Rankings: NY Jets win doesn't move the needle

3. Miami Dolphins

Are the Miami Dolphins for real? It sure seems so after this team has won four straight and suddenly find themselves in playoff contention.

Tua Tagovailoa has returned from injury and looked very good, and to their credit, the offensive coaching staff has put him in a good position to succeed. This Miami offense is dependent on their RPOs and that's helped turn Tagovailoa into a highly efficient quarterback.

On top of that, their smothering defense has made life very difficult for opposing offenses in recent weeks. They held the Baltimore Ravens to the worst performance of the Lamar Jackson era a few weeks ago.

They held the Carolina Panthers to 10 points this past Sunday as Cam Newton finished a downright ugly 5-of-21 for 92 yards and two interceptions.

This is the Dolphins team that we expected to see going into the season. An efficient, unexciting offense coupled with a dominant defense. Now we're seeing that plan come to fruition.

Will it be enough to carry them all the way to the postseason? That much remains to be seen. They didn't do themselves any favors with the 1-7 hole they dug themselves early on.

But at the very least, head coach Brian Flores has likely saved his job as well as general manager Chris Grier's in the process. No one wants to play this Dolphins team right now, and with good reason.