Dec 17, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (4) runs with the ball for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
Each week, VikingsTerritory catalogs the Minnesota Vikings placement in all national power rankings. Eleven sources are vetted, detailed, and plopped here for reference.
The Vikings conducted the largest comeback in NFL history last Saturday, mind-bogglingly upending the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 39-36 after trailing 33-0 at halftime. Minnesota’s defense stiffened in the 2nd Half while the offense, led by Kirk Cousins, scored five unanswered touchdowns.
Minnesota has around 21:1 odds of winning the Super Bowl in 2022. Last week, those odds were 25:1, so the comeback over the Colts moved the needle a bit.
Per EPA/Play, the Vikings own the NFL’s 18th-best offense and 13th-best defense after Week 15. Those certainly aren’t the metrics a Super Bowl-contending team produces, but the Vikings have three weeks to improve.
[format = ranking entity: power ranking position (variation from last week)]
The national average of these totals is 7.3. The world believes the Vikings are about the NFL’s seventh-best team. Last week, Minnesota was around seventh. Nothing changed.
Dan Hanzus from NFL.com wrote about the Vikings and Colts result, “The Vikings obviously have a sense of humor. They must know the football world has been in an ongoing debate about whether the team is a legitimate contender or an outright fraud — it’s the only possible explanation for falling behind the lowly Colts 33-0 at halftime on Saturday before mounting the greatest comeback in the 103-year history of the NFL.”
Pete Prisco at CBS Sports mentioned, “Rallying from 33 down to beat the Colts could be the game that gets this team going. Kirk Cousins was outstanding in the comeback.”
Bleacher Report noted about the Vikings comeback, “Coming back from 33 down is a great story and all. But Minnesota allowed 36 points against one of the worst offenses in the league. This also marked the first time in over a month that the Vikings allowed less than 400 yards of offense.”
The Vikings are 3.5-point favorites to beat the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 16. The Giants have an 87% chance of reaching the playoffs after downing the Washington Commanders on Sunday night. New York is also the odds-on favorite to face the Vikings in Round 1 of the postseason.
Minnesota hasn’t defeated the Giants since 2013, and folks will remember that fiasco because Josh Freeman led the Vikings as QB1. The Vikings have beaten Giants three straight times.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).