There are only two 4-0 teams left; where do the Vikings rate?
Well, well, well…after beating the Green Bay Packers in Week 4, surely the Minnesota Vikings will have more equity in this week’s power rankings, right?
I’m glad you asked — here is the consensus look at this week’s power rankings.
If you have any other rankings you think should be included, feel free to DM me @Brandon_Warne on the tweets.
Let’s talk to it:
The Rankings
- The Athletic/New York Times — 1st (previously 4th)
Key excerpt: “The Vikings are having the NFL’s most surprising season without much help from their rookie class.”
Key excerpt: “But after the group allowed 22 points in the fourth quarter to the Packers, it’s worth thinking about age and snap counts.”
- Pro Football Talk — 3rd (previously 7th)
Key excerpt: “Between the players and the coaching on both sides of the ball, they’ve got the most balanced team in the league.”
- CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) — 2nd (previously 3rd)
Key excerpt: “Sam Darnold for MVP. Sounds crazy, right? It really isn’t.”
- Palm Beach Post (Joe Schad) — 3rd (previously 3rd)
Key excerpt: “Sam Darnold was a coaching problem, not a Sam Darnold problem.”
- The Score — 3rd (previously 4th)
Key excerpt: “No one could’ve predicted Sam Darnold would make the Vikings look like one of the best teams in the NFC through four games.”
- NFL Trade Rumors — 2nd (previously 4th)
Key excerpt: “It’s becoming harder and harder to doubt the Vikings — their resumé speaks for itself.”
- Sports Illustrated — 3rd (previously 5th)
Key excerpt: “This weekend’s matchup in London against a truly and undeniably desperate Jets team will be one to watch. Does Minnesota finally get caught sleeping?”
- USA Today — 2nd (previously 3rd)
Key excerpt: “…their 4-0 mark is no fluke, nor are the MVP credentials – seriously – of QB Sam Darnold, now the first player in the league’s broad history to win his first four games with a team while throwing multiple touchdown passes in each.”
- Yahoo! Sports — 2nd (previously 4th)
Key excerpt: “The Vikings should have some worry about their fourth quarters. Focus through 60 minutes is a skill, and almost blowing that game to the Packers wasn’t great. But overall, the Vikings couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season.”
- The 33rd Team — 2nd (previously 3rd)
Key excerpt: “I know it’s only four games, but the Vikings look like legit contenders in the NFC.”
- Marquee Sports Network — 2nd (previously 4th)
Key excerpt: “Justin Jefferson isn’t just the NFL’s best receiver right now. He might be one of the best ever, if he stays healthy.”
- New York Post — 2nd (previously 3rd)
Key excerpt: “The Vikings, who recovered a late onside kick, have trailed for less than four minutes all season while starting 4-0 for the first time since 2016.”
Average ranking: 2.23 (29 ranking points/13 rankings)
Spare thoughts: I don’t really have any gripes here. If the Detroit Lions hadn’t dismantled a previously undefeated Seattle Seahawks team on Monday — and instead beat, say, the Chicago Bears — I’d be more bitter about being ranked as low as third in some places.
But in general, a nearly consensus No. 2 ranking in the NFL isn’t bad — and Kansas City, with its dearth of healthy playmakers, is on notice.
What do you think? Join the conversation below (and recommend other power rankings to add if you wish)!
