How Does the World Feel about the 2023 Vikings? | April Edition

Starters in 2023
Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports.

During the regular season, VikingsTerritory catalogs the Minnesota Vikings placement in all national power rankings. Ten sources are vetted, detailed, and plopped here for reference.

This is the pre-draft, offseason edition.

How Does the World Feel about the 2023 Vikings? | April Edition

The Vikings won 13 games in 2022, marking only the third time in franchise history that the club won that many games in a single season. Then, it felt all for nil as the New York Giants bounced the Vikings from the postseason in the Wildcard Round.

April 2023
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah added six new players in March, including Josh Oliver (TE, Ravens), Marcus Davenport (EDGE, Saints), Byron Murphy (CB, Cardinals), Dean Lowry (DT, Packers), Brandon Powell (WR, Rams), and Troy Reeder (LB, Chargers).

Cameron Dantzler (CB, Commanders), Eric Kendricks (LB, Chargers), Patrick Peterson (CB, Steelers), Adam Thielen (WR, Panthers), Dalvin Tomlinson (DT, Browns), Duke Shelley (CB, Raiders), and Irv Smith (TE, Bengals) left the franchise.

Here’s a look at where the Vikings rank via national power rankings as of April 3rd, 2023.

Pretty Wonderful on Tuesday
Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports.

The national average of these totals is 13.4. The world believes the Vikings are about the NFL’s 13th-best team three weeks before the 2023 NFL Draft.

Vinnie Iyer from Sporting News wrote about the Vikings, “The Vikings lost Adam Thielen from their offense but still look better there than the defense. They are status quo with the pass rush and secondary. They are bound to regress to the mean with their overachieving in close games last season.”

Sportsnaut‘s Matt Johnson opined, “There is ample evidence of NFL teams experiencing regression from one year to the next in one-score games. The Minnesota Vikings set an NFL record with 11 wins in one-score games in 2022, Regression is coming for a team that caught a lot of breaks, even if the defense is completely revamped this spring. At the very least, hiring Brian Flores as defensive coordinator is a strong initial move to address the Vikings’ defensive woes but the Vikings’ notable cap casualties point to their financial juggling act this offseason.”

Verdict on the Vikings
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

“Minnesota brought back Alexander Mattison on a two-year deal, the latest evidence suggesting the team could be ready to say goodbye to Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook. As for Kirk Cousins? There hasn’t been any momentum toward an extension, meaning this could be the last year for the quarterback at U.S. Bank Stadium. This feels like transition time in Minneapolis,” said NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus.

The NFL draft is 24 days away, and the Vikings could stand to improve at cornerback, off-ball linebacker, plus wide receiver and interior defensive line. Adofo-Mensah could also make a splash and land his quarterback of the future, as Kirk Cousins is not committed to the roster beyond 2023, at least for now.

Minnesota is considered the second-best team in the NFC North, with the regular season five months away, behind the Detroit Lions, who have top NFC North Vegas odds.


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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.

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