Writer’s note: Hey all. I meant to get this out sooner, but I’ve been swamped with work (I’m working Panthers-Browns this weekend), and I’ve been sick besides. My apologies.
Hello again, sports fans. We’re back with another season of putting together a weekly consensus power ranking for the Vikings. Raise your hand if you’re here to see how many of these will have the Vikings behind the Bears and Packers despite beating both already this season!
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 — 15th (last week: 22nd)
Key excerpt: “As the saying goes, defense wins championships. And until a team solves Flores’ scheme, Minnesota will command respect on a weekly basis.”
The Athletic/New York Times — 10th (last week: 15th)
Key excerpt: “People are starting to learn about Orange and fellow rookie defensive tackle Caleb Banks, Minnesota’s first-round pick. The Vikings get bonus points for playing fifth-round tight end Max Bredeson at fullback.”
ESPN.com — 12th (last week: 17th)
Key excerpt: “Their defense and special teams both rank No. 6 in the NFL in EPA, while their rushing game ranks No. 16 in EPA. That’s a good sign for the entire team with Murray returning this week.“
Pro Football Focus — 15th (last week: 17th)
Key excerpt: “The performance of Murray, who will return in Week 3 in Tampa Bay, will reveal more about the Vikings’ long-term chances.“
Pro Football Talk — 11th (15th)
Key excerpt: “The defense has a flair for showing up in the biggest possible moments.”
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) — 13th (last week: 13th)
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.
Writer’s note: Prisco is claiming he had them 18th last week (and has a +5 for last week to this week). He did not. I think they may not have updated it? Weird. As a result, the blurb makes no sense.
The Score — 11th (last week: 12th)
Key excerpt: “Former first-round pass-rusher Dallas Turner has been a consistent difference-maker, recording 11 QB hits and three sacks in Minnesota’s first two games.”
Sports Illustrated — 8th (last week: 15th)
Key excerpt: “Brian Flores is averaging a blitz rate well over 70% through two weeks, but I don’t think we’ll ever quite understand how precise these calls are. Rewatch the end of that Bears game and notice how he has the Vikings’ best pass rusher on the Bears’ most vulnerable pass blocker and how consistent he can attain these matchups through honed chaos.”
USA Today (Nate Davis) — 9th (last week: 16th)
Key excerpt: “Let’s not lose sight of the fact that they were handling Chicago before QB Caleb Williams went down. The question now is should they go back to QB Kyler Murray simply because they can?“
Yahoo! Sports— 10th (last week: 17th)
Key excerpt: “Edge rusher Dallas Turner seems to be having a breakout in his third season. …Turner was the 17th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft and he is playing up to that draft status.”
New York Post — 10th (last week: 17th)
Key excerpt: “The Vikings allowed just 297 total yards, forced two takeaways and tallied four sacks, including one of Tyson Bagent (replacing the injured Caleb Williams) to stymie a fourth down from the 12-yard line on the final play.“
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Average ranking: 11.27 (124 ranking points/11 rankings| High: 8th; Low: 15th)
Spare thoughts: The Vikings are behind the winless Texans in one spot, I saw. Between that and being behind the Bears/Packers in some too? Laughable.
What do you think? Join the conversation below (and recommend other power rankings to add if you wish)!
