Writer’s note: Hey y’all, sorry about the late week content dump. We replaced the floors in our house this week, so everything got a little bunched up. Cheers.
Hello again, sports fans. We’re back with another weekly consensus power ranking for your Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings squeaked past the Miami Dolphins at U.S. Bank Stadium last week to move to 4-0, with a trip to the Big Easy to face the Saints up next.
Here’s a link to the year-long rankings spreadsheet.
Let’s talk to it (rankings are hyperlinked
for maximum clickage):
The Rankings
NFL.com — 11th (last week: 9th)
Key excerpt: “I’ll admit that I’m not buying in. I think the Vikings are one of the most fraudulent 4-0 teams you’ll ever see. Their offense is downright putrid and makes for a difficult viewing experience each week.”
The Athletic/New York Times — 7th (last week: 7th)
Key excerpt: “Brian Flores is flexing his defensive chops. But Kevin O’Connell is supposed to be the complementary offensive whiz, and instead this offense looks disjointed even with Kyler Murray healthy again.”
ESPN.com — 9th (last week: 9th)
Key excerpt: “The offense has scored only one touchdown since Week 1, but those other contributions have been enough for the Vikings to keep winning.”
Pro Football Talk — 8th (last week: 9th)
Key excerpt: “Kyler Murray is no longer the Road Runner.”
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) — 3rd (last week: 4th)
Key excerpt: “They are undefeated, but the offense still looks off. The defense is definitely carrying this team right now, but the offense has to pick it up.”
The Score — 7th (last week: 7th)
Key excerpt: “At 35, Van Noy is still making plays. The sack totals aren’t always there, but Van Noy has a knack for coming up big in key moments, plus he’s always defended the run well from the edge position. The Vikings have limited his snaps, and that should help keep Van Noy’s veteran legs fresh as the season progresses.”
Sports Illustrated — 13th (last week: 11th)
Key excerpt: “Despite the fact that this Brandon Staley-led Saints defense was put into a blender by Michael Penix Jr. and Tommy Rees on Monday Night Football, I think this week will be a bellwether game for Kyler Murray, who will now have a decent sample size against Carson Wentz with three starts under his belt. Will that quiet the noise?“
USA Today (Nate Davis) — 9th (last week: 7th)
Key excerpt: “As great as their swarming defense has been, let’s not lose sight of All-Pro K Will Reichard. His league-high 42 points scored are nearly half of the Vikes’ total (86). Reichard has provided all of the scoring in two of Minnesota’s four wins.”
Yahoo! Sports— 9th (last week: 9th)
Key excerpt: “The Vikings did something Sunday that no other team has accomplished since 1923. It’s not great though. They’re the first team since the 1923 Chicago Cardinals to start 4-0 and not score a touchdown in two of the wins.”
New York Post — 3rd (last week: 5th)
Key excerpt: “Will Reichard kicked five field goals to provide all the scoring in a 15-10 victory against the winless Dolphins and extend his consecutive conversions streak to 31.”
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Average ranking: 7.9 (79 ranking points/10 rankings| High: 3rd; Low: 13th)
Spare thoughts: I don’t have too many complaints here. For me, 13th feels a bit low, but after watching this offense operate, I can’t really put my neck on the line for them either.
What do you think? Join the conversation below (and recommend other power rankings to add if you wish)!
