The 2022 Vikings, According to All National Power Rankings: Week 9
Dustin Baker
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Each week, VikingsTerritory catalogs the Minnesota Vikings placement in national power rankings. Eleven sources are vetted, detailed, and plopped here for reference.
The Vikings defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, 34-26, with a win that secured a 3.5-game lead atop the NFC North after the Green Bay Packers dropped a fourth consecutive game. Against Arizona, Minnesota was quite consistent on offense and defense, disallowing its usual stretches of temporary in-game futility that were on display from Week 2 through 6.
Minnesota now has around 16:1 odds of winning the Super Bowl in 2022, a tick up from the 18:1 probability two weeks ago.
Per EPA/Play, the Vikings own the NFL’s 13th-best offense and 17th-best defense after Week 8. These areas must improve if the Vikings seek attention as a bonafide Super Bowl contender.
These are the Vikings weekly power rankings heading into Week 9.
[format = ranking entity: power ranking position (variation from last week)]
- CBS Sports: 4th (no change)
- Bleacher Report: 4th (no change)
- Sporting News: 4th (+1)
- Pro Football Network: 4th (+4)
- ESPN: 5th (no change)
- USA Today: 5th (no change)
- Pro Football Talk: 5th (+1)
- Yahoo Sports: 6th (no change)
- The Score: 6th (+1)
- FiveThirtyEight: 6th (no change)
- NFL.com: 7th (no change)
The national average of these totals is 5.0. The world believes the Vikings are about the NFL’s 5th-best team. Last week, Minnesota was around 5th, too.
Bleacher Report wrote about the current state of the Vikings, “That lack of national respect is largely because Minnesota’s lone loss was a blowout against the Eagles in their biggest test of 2022. But the Vikings will get another chance to establish credibility soon enough. After traveling to Washington in Week 9, they head to Buffalo to face the surging Bills.”
The Vikings are 3.5-point favorites to beat the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field in Week 9. The game marks Kirk Cousins’ first trip to Washington as a visiting quarterback.
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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).
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