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Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

In the NFL, four games make a big difference, one that you will see as we grade the Miami Dolphins in their midseason report card.

When I wrote the report card for the first quarter of the season, the Dolphins were 2-2, and we were still unsure of the potential that this team possessed. Sure, it had defeated the Patriots handily in Week 1 and blew out the Oakland Raiders in London in Week 4, but those two victories were sandwiched around blowout losses in Buffalo and at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Looking back, it's worth noting that the Bills and Chiefs are a combined 10-6. Add in the Dolphins' lone loss of this quarter to the Packers, and they have lost to teams with a combined record of 15-9.

Compare that to the teams they've beaten (New England, Oakland, Chicago, Jacksonville and San Diego). Those teams are a combined 15-19. Yes, Oakland and Jacksonville are the two worst teams in the NFL, and yes, the Chicago Bears seem to be a candidate for the imploding team with the most talent in the league. But New England currently has the best record in the AFC, and the Chargers are still relevant to the AFC playoff race and likely will remain so throughout the season.

In other words, you really can't scoff at whom the Dolphins have beaten, nor could you scoff at who's beaten them. They are a legitimate AFC contender as of the first half of the season, and in the next quarter of the season, we will see how much of a contender the team really is.

This report card will be similar to the one you see from me after every game and will operate like the report card for the first quarter of the season I published prior to the Dolphins' Week 5 bye week.

The grades will be partly based on their averages from the last four games and on other intangible factors such as resiliency, poise and improvement from week to week. I will also give you their grades for the half, which are their averages from all eight games plus the other factors I have mentioned.

Here's a look at Miami's grades for the first half.