Hello again, sports fans. We’re back with another season of putting together a consensus power ranking for the Vikings each week. Coming off the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, I am not expecting much….but here goes nothing.
Let’s talk to it (rankings are hyperlinked for maximum clickage):
The Rankings
NFL.com — 22nd (last week: 19th)
Key excerpt: “…in short, this wasn’t the kind of performance that should give Kevin O’Connell any sort of hesitation to go back to J.J. McCarthy; a move that we’ve expected all along feels certain now.”
The Athletic/New York Times — 20th (last week: 17th)
Key excerpt:
“Reality check: They may have chosen the wrong QB.”
ESPN.com — 22nd (last week: 18th)
Key excerpt: “(Eric) Wilson stepped in and kept a starting job when Cashman returned in Week 7, sending Pace to the bench. Wilson is the Vikings’ leading tackler (41) and also has 1.5 sacks. He has maintained his role on special teams, where he has played 72 snaps.”
Pro Football Focus — 14th (last week: 15th)
Key excerpt: “At 3-3, the Vikings still have a 22% chance of making the playoffs, but their immediate future is murky. When will J.J. McCarthy return to the lineup? (Carson) Wentz’s 55.8 overall PFF grade is 35th among quarterbacks.”
Pro Football Talk — 20th (last week: 18th)
Key excerpt: “There are still two weeks left to bring Kirk Cousins home.”
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) — 16th (last week: 16th)
Key excerpt: “The quarterback situation bears watching. It’s time to put J.J. McCarthy back in the lineup.”
The Score — 20th (last week: 19th)
Key excerpt: “Add OL depth. The Vikings’ offensive line hasn’t been the strength we expected after a busy offseason. That group might need help if Minnesota wants to set up J.J. McCarthy for success when he returns from his ankle injury.”
Sports Illustrated — 19th (last week: 19th)
Key excerpt: “No matter how bad things look, the Vikings are so well coached and stocked with enough talent that they’re almost certainly going to be in every game.”
USA Today (Nate Davis) — 21st (last week: 21st)
Key excerpt: “Been a while since a quarterback took apart Brian Flores’ defense the way Jalen Hurts did on Sunday. Justin Herbert and Jared Goff, Flores’ next two assignments, surely took note.”
Yahoo! Sports — 21st (last week: 19th)
Key excerpt: “There’s not much positive to come out of Sunday’s game.”
New York Post — 20th (last week: 20th)
Key excerpt: None provided.
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Average ranking: 19.5 (215 ranking points/11 rankings| High: 14th; Low: 22nd)
Spare thoughts: I don’t have much to add here. I still believe in the team and the talent, but until something new happens at quarterback, it’s hard to get too excited. An upset at SoFi on Thursday would go a long way on the vibes front.
What do you think? Join the conversation below (and recommend other power rankings to add if you wish)!
