Minnesota Vikings Week 1 Power Rankings Review: Lots of SKOL love

The Minnesota Vikings are getting a lot of love in expert power rankings and the team heads into Week 1 to take on the San Francisco 49ers.

The first week of the NFL’s regular season is underway and for the Minnesota Vikings, their first test will be in the form of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, September 6, 2018 in front of the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Week 1 will be the Vikings first opportunity to prove they are among the NFL’s best teams. However, many NFL experts have already released their Power Rankings of just how good they expect each team to be.

Let’s take a look at some of the rankings from the most prominent websites around the internet and see where Minnesota stacks up among the competition.

Ranked 1st

• Bleacher Report – Consensus: “More so than any team in the league, the Vikings don’t have a weakness for opponents to exploit.” Previous Rank: 1st
• Yahoo Sports – Frank Schwab: “I am concerned about the offensive line. It wasn’t good to begin with and took on injuries.”  Previous Rank: 1st

Ranked 2nd

• Business Insider – Tyler Lauletta and Scott Davis”>Scott Davis: “The offensive line is a worry, but the pieces are there for this to be a dominant team on both sides of the ball if everyone stays healthy.”
• Sporting News – Vinnie Iyer: “There’s plenty to love about last year’s NFC runner-up after Minnesota upgraded at QB with Kirk Cousins and added Sheldon Richardson to the front of an all-around nasty defense.”
• SBNation – Rebecca Toback

Ranked 3rd

• Chicago Tribune – Brad Biggs: “If QB Kirk Cousins provides an expected boost over Case Keenum, and if second-year RB Dalvin Cook comes all the way back from a knee injury, they’re in good shape.”
• NESN – Adam London: “Minnesota boasts one of the most vaunted defenses in the league, and its offense received a boost in the offseason in the form of quarterback Kirk Cousins.”
• Sports Illustrated MMQB – Consensus

Ranked 4th

• NFL.com – Elliot Harrison: “The acquisition of former Bengals safety George Ilokaonly added to Minnesota’s enviable defensive depth.” Previous Rank: 4th
• Washington Post – Mark Maske: “The pressure is on quarterback Kirk Cousins after the Vikings used a fully guaranteed, three-year, $84 million deal to add him as the presumptive final piece to a Super Bowl puzzle.”
• NJ.com – Matt Stypulkoski: “The Vikings just don’t really have any glaring weaknesses.”

Ranked 5th

• 24/7 Sports – Kevin Boilard: “The Minnesota Vikings were one game away from making a Super Bowl appearance last season, and this offseason they went out and got the one thing that previously held them back: a quarterback.”
• NBC Sports Washington – Peter Hailey: “The Vikings look like they’ll be as balanced as anyone in pro football now that they have Kirk Cousins in purple.”

Ranked 6th

• CBS Sports – Pete Prisco: “They signed Kirk Cousins to liven up the offense. If he can improve it by a bunch, they could be a Super team with that defense.” Previous Rank: 4th
• ESPN – Courtney Cronin: “With Kirk Cousins at quarterback and a loaded 53-man roster backed by the league’s No. 1 defense, the Vikings have their eye on capturing the franchise’s first Lombardi trophy.”

Ranked 7th

• USA Today – Nate Davis: “Impressive offensive firepower and a new sniper like Kirk Cousins could mean great things … if Minnesota’s blocking is up to the task.” Previous Rank: 4th

Ranked 12th

• Walter Football – Walter: “Overrated NFL Team” Previous Rank: 10th

Nearly ever expert has the Minnesota Vikings in the top 25% of the NFL, with only Walter Football thinking the team will be closer to average this season rather than competing for a Super Bowl ring.

However, with the Eagles looking good after their Super Bowl in, the Patriots always being contenders, the moves the Rams made, and other teams getting better in the offseason, seeing Minnesota in the top 5 so often is a great sign for the talent and potential the team has this year.

It will be interesting to see how the Vikings handle their first challenge of the San Francisco 49ers. Expect to see next week’s power rankings change in a big way based on their performance. If they struggle, Minnesota could be in for a drop headed into Week 2.

Still, sitting around 4 or 5 is a more than fair spot for the Vikings heading into the season, especially considering they were one of the final four teams standing in the postseason and added some significant talent during the offseason.

Where do you think the Minnesota Vikings should be in NFL Power Rankings heading into the 2018 NFL season? And what is your biggest concern with the team which could lead to then sliding down the list? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.