Hello again, sports fans. We’re back with another season of putting together a consensus power ranking for the Vikings each week. It’s time to get ready for the Chicago Bears, who won a shootout with the Carolina Panthers last week and are sitting pretty in pretty much all of the rankings below.
Here’s a link to a spreadsheet for the year-long rankings.
Let’s talk to it (rankings are hyperlinked for maximum clickage):
The Rankings
NFL.com — 22nd (last week: 19th)
Key excerpt: “The Vikings found a way to turn what was trending toward an ugly, disheartening
season opener into a 17-point triumph. The result still seems absurd to me, given that the Packers led by 12 points late in the third quarter, but Brian Flores’ defense (along with some penalties by the opposition) can swing a game that quickly.“
Writer’s note: Going DOWN in the rankings and still behind the Packers? Shirley, you can not be serious.
The Athletic/New York Times — 15th (last week: 19th)
Key excerpt: “Brian Flores is a mad man…and we mean that in a good way. The Minnesota defensive coordinator sent blitzes on 74 percent(!) of the Packers’ dropbacks and totally overwhelmed their offensive line late as the Vikings put together an impressive comeback win with backup quarterback Carson Wentz leading the offense.”
ESPN.com — 17th (last week: 22nd)
Key excerpt: “Quarterback Jordan Love checked into a sneak play, but Orange — known by the nickname “Big Citrus” — fought off center Sean Rhyan and stuffed Love for no gain. “If I was a quarterback,” Orange told reporters afterward, “I’d try that, too. But they don’t know about Big Citrus yet.”
Pro Football Focus — 17th (last week: 17th)
Key excerpt: None provided.
Pro Football Talk — 15th (19th)
Key excerpt: “For the second straight year, the Vikings woke up just in time to get a key division win in Week 1.”
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) — 13th (last week: 18th)
Key excerpt: “That was a heck of a comeback against the Packers. The defense led the way. With Kyler Murray down, it’s Carson Wentz time now.”
The Score — 12th (last week: 15th)
Key excerpt: “The QB position remains a huge question for Minnesota, and Wentz, who stepped in after starter Kyler Murray suffered a concussion, doesn’t offer much upside.”
Sports Illustrated — 15th (last week: 19th)
Key excerpt: “With the most baseline of quarterback play, this team is a legitimate playoff threat whose defense is still spry enough to wreak havoc. They should definitely call Jimmy Garoppolo, though.”
Writer’s note: What?
USA Today (Nate Davis) — 16th (last week: 18th)
Key excerpt: “The bad news? Quarterback disarray remains the baseline here. The good news? Resurgent WR Justin Jefferson has already matched his 2025 TD total (2).”
Yahoo! Sports— 17th (last week: 24th)
Writer’s note: For some reason, they’re claiming they said 18th last week? Could be a mixup with the post-draft rankings.
Key excerpt: “The Vikings won and that’s a great way to start the season, but it’s not like they played well. They were outgained 419-239. The Packers had 6.3 yards per play to just 3.9 for the Vikings.”
New York Post — 17th (last week: 24th)
Key excerpt: None provided.
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Average ranking: 16.00 (176 ranking points/11 rankings| High: 12th; Low: 22nd)
Spare thoughts: The NFL.com ranking is laughable. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that. Onward and upward, gents.
What do you think? Join the conversation below (and recommend other power rankings to add if you wish)!
