You’ll Never Believe the Vikings’ Consensus Power Ranking
Not from Minnesota Vikings-themed websites for voices — but from national punditry — the Vikings are the NFL’s third-best team, according to the masses.
You’ll Never Believe the Vikings’ Consensus Power Ranking
That’s right. The 3-0 team ranks No. 3 per most credible power-ranking batches, routinely trailing the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, and then that’s about it.
The 33rd Team kicked off the Week 4 power-ranking party, and Minnesota was not ignored. “The Minnesota Vikings are easily the most surprising team in the NFL this season. Not only are they 3-0, but they’ve defeated two excellent teams in the 49ers and the Texans. Both wins were done in convincing fashion, and they managed to win those games without Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson,” Ari Meirov wrote while placing the Vikings at No. 3.
“Time will tell whether the Vikings are a legitimate contender in the NFC. But their high-flying offense, paired with Brian Flores’s defense, make them a tough opponent for any team.”
ESPN plopped Minnesota at No. 3, too. The sports media giant also identified an area of improvement for all NFL teams, and for the Vikings, it claimed right guard performance needed help.
“There haven’t been many issues for a team that ranks fourth in the NFL in both scoring (26 points per game) and overall offensive efficiency (72.03). But if we’re nitpicking, the Vikings continue to cover for subpar play from right guard Ed Ingram,” Kevin Seifert opined. “Through three weeks, Ingram ranks 54th in pass block win rate (82%) and 44th in run block win rate (68.1%) among guards. The Vikings could mix in veteran Dalton Risner when he is activated from injured reserve, but if the worst thing you can say about an offense is that one interior offensive lineman is underperforming, you’re probably in pretty good shape.”
Next, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco nominated Minnesota for — you guessed it — No. 3. “The good news is Sam Darnold isn’t badly hurt. Did I just write that? Yes, because he’s played so well in the 3-0 start that his health really matters,” Prisco explained.
Other outfits lowballed the Vikings a bit. The Athletic adjudicated the purple team as the league’s fourth-best, while Pro Football Talk clocked Minnesota at No. 7.
When the regular season began three weeks ago, the Vikings checked in between 21 and 26 per reputable power rankings. Kevin O’Connell’s squad has climbed over 20 spots — across the board — since early September.
The Vikings travel to Green Bay this weekend for a meeting with the Packers, a club with a 2-1 record despite Jordan Love’s recent absence.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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