Minnesota Vikings Week 8 Power Rankings Review: Holding firm after win

Where do experts have the Minnesota Vikings in their weekly power rankings heading into Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints? Here is the review!

During Week 7 of the 2018 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings were able to defeat the New York Jets and extend their winning streak to three games and move to the top of the NFC North for the time being with a 4-2-1 record.

The 31-17 win put the Vikings in the driver’s seat, getting four takeaways from the Jets and diving up the team’s four touchdowns evenly: two through the air and two on the ground. With a convincing win heading into Week 8, the question of whether or not Minnesota should be contenders again is brought to light.

The experts have once again weighed in on where they believe the Minnesota Vikings rank among the 32 teams in the NFL and here is where they appear on some of the most notable power rankings around the internet!

Ranked 5th

• Bleacher Report – Consensus: “The offense scored three touchdowns on plays of over 30 yards. The defense forced four turnovers and held the Jets to 263 total yards.” (No change)
• NFL.com – Elliot Harrison: “This run that Adam Thielen is on, torching the league week in and week out, is edging into historic territory.” (No change)
• Sporting News – Vinnie Iyer: “Their defense is back on track, and their offensive line is helping them produce a respectable running game to go with Kirk Cousins’ great play with Adam Thielen and everyone else.” (Up 1 spot)
• Sports Illustrated – MMQB Staff: “Now the Saints are going to be amped for the Minneapolis Miracle rematch next week.” (No change)
• Washington Post – Mark Maske: “Things will get interesting when they host the Saints this Sunday night. Can they supplant the Saints as the primary challenger to the Rams in the NFC?” (No change)
• Yahoo Sports – Frank Schwab: “I fully understand that only quarterbacks or record-breaking running backs can win MVPs. That’s how voting has gone for decades. But if someone outside of that group was going to make a run, it might be Vikings receiver Adam Thielen.” (No Change)

Ranked 6th

• Business Insider – Tyler Lauletta: “Adam Thielen now has more than 100 receiving yards in seven straight games to start the year, tying a record set by Charlie Hennigan back in 1961.” (Up 5 spots)
• ESPN: “Backup Latavius Murray has scored in back-to-back weeks, but the Vikings still rank 22nd in yards per rush and first downs per rush.” (Up 4 spots)
• NBC Sports Bay Area – Scott Blair: “Another big day for Latavius Murray. All aboard the Tay Train…Vikings chugging along nicely after a rough stretch.” (Up 2 spots)
• NESN – Joshua Schrock: “The Vikings beat another inferior opponent in Week 7, crushing the New York Jets 37-17.” (No change)
• Pro Football Talk – Mike Florio: “The offense needs to become much more consistent to beat the likes of the Saints and the Lions over the next two weekends.” (Up 2 spots)

Ranked 7th

• NBC Sports Chicago – Cam Ellis: “They’re quietly starting to turn into the team everyone expected this season.” (Up 8 spots)
• SBNation – Rebecca Toback: “The Vikings and Packers have been up-and-down and even finished their first head-to-head matchup with a tie.” (No change)
• USA Today FTW - Steven Ruiz: “The defense isn’t quite there yet and the offense, while certainly productive, isn’t nearly as efficient as it was a year ago with Case Keenum at quarterback.” (unknown)

Ranked 8th

• CBS Sports – Pete Prisco: “Three straight victories has this team rolling.” (No change)

This week, the Vikings saw a lot of experts keep them in the same position because they expected Minnesota to defeat the Jets. However, the way they were in control and won by 20 points should have made a little bigger impact on some of the rankings.

Still, the wide spread of placements from last week seems to be more tightly grouped now. The Week 7 win has them firmly placed between fifth and eighth, among the top 25% of NFL teams this season.

Of course, Week 8 will bring another big challenge for the Minnesota Vikings as they face off against the New Orleans Saints in a rematch from the Divisional Round of last year’s playoffs. If the purple and gold can get a win, expect them to creep up the rankings a bit more.