Some NFL power rankings have the Vikings as one of the top squads in the league, but is this a case of the team being over-hyped?
Bleacher Report likes the Vikings. They really really like the Vikings.
In the latest BR power rankings, Minnesota sits all the way up at #5. Ahead of the Packers. Ahead of the Seahawks and the Broncos and the Steelers.
It’s not just Bleacher Report either. SI recently placed the Vikings seventh in their power rankings. ESPN put the Vikings in the top ten.
Are such high rankings legit or are folks jumping the gun by bestowing such status on the Vikings more-or-less sight-unseen?
The Vikes are coming off a playoff season, but they’re also still a relatively young team and there are some big question marks at a lot of positions, primarily quarterback.
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Most power rankings that put the Vikings high mention their upgraded offensive line, but the truth is we don’t know if the line actually has been upgraded.
The Vikings made some changes on the line but changes don’t automatically equal improvement.
Much the same could be said about the receiver corps. Laquon Treadwell has promise but his performance so far in preseason has been mixed. Charles Johnson looks like he has returned to his 2014 form but until he does it consistently we don’t know what he brings to the table.
My point is simply this: Ranking the Vikings in the top five this early means assuming a lot of stuff.
It’s easy to tag the Vikings as contenders based on rosy predictions of how their personnel and coaching moves will pan out.
Realistically, I don’t think the Vikings have yet earned a place among the league’s elite.
Some teams behind the Vikings on the BR ranking, like Green Bay and Seattle and Pittsburgh, are way more accomplished. Those teams have been contenders consistently, while the Vikings only just came on last year.
Teams further down the rankings like Indianapolis, Baltimore and the New York Giants have more-settled quarterback situations than Minnesota. To me those teams are all safer bets than the Vikings. They’re also more boring bets.
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And that’s the key: nobody wants to be boring and obvious. People are placing the Vikings high because it’s trendy. The Vikings are officially a cool pick.
Much as I would love to put aside objectivity and mark the Vikings down as a top-5 club, I can’t yet bring myself to do it.
Curse my wait-and-see attitude but I’ll have to wait-and-see on the 2016 version of the Vikings.