ESPN lists Vikings below Browns and Packers in latest power rankings

In their most recent NFL power rankings, ESPN isn’t too impressed with the Minnesota Vikings as they currently view them as the 15th-best team in the league.

On Tuesday, ESPN revealed their post-free agency NFL power rankings. At No. 15 is where they have the Minnesota Vikings ranked.

Given that Minnesota is coming off an 8-7-1 season and was not very active in free agency, it does not come as a surprise that they are not ranked very high. Part of what makes the NFL great though is how unpredictable the league is each year.

Who expected the Chicago Bears to win the NFC North last season with a rookie head coach? Especially since the Bears finished last in the division during each of the previous four seasons and had not made it to the playoffs since 2010.

Who also expected the Vikings to miss the postseason last year after making it to the NFC Championship in 2017 and adding quarterback Kirk Cousins and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson to the mix during the offseason?

Minnesota could end up performing better in 2019 than what is expected by not just the national and local media, but perhaps even some of their biggest fans.

Every season is different. Injuries, or lack thereof, are a part of why teams in the NFL either do worse than expected or better. Draft picks, especially ones from the later rounds, can perform better than expected sometimes. The Vikings have seen this proven by a number of players including Danielle Hunter (third-round pick) and Stefon Diggs (fifth-round pick).

Losing Richardson hurts, but Minnesota will, once again, have a very strong defensive line in 2019. Having Everson Griffen return to the team for next season after recently restructuring his deal will certainly help maintain the Vikings’ dangerous pass rush.

Griffen clearly was not the same player in 2018 that Minnesota has become accustomed to seeing out on the field following his return from missing five games due to personal reasons.

Even if his best days are behind him, he should still be a big contributor for the Vikings’ defense next season. Griffen and Stephen Weatherly would also be a very nice 1-2 combo on the right side of the defensive line with Hunter already being the full-time end on the left side.

Shamar Stephen is a downgrade from Richardson as one of Minnesota’s starting defensive tackles. But Stephen is still a decent player and he is very familiar with the Vikings’ coaching staff after playing for the team from 2014 to 2017.

Kirk Cousins had a very good season from a statistical standpoint for the Vikings in 2018. But he did also struggle at times in key games and moments. Cousins definitely deserves some blame for that, however, his offensive line and the team’s play-calling did not help him at all.

Struggling guards Tom Compton and Mike Remmers are no longer in Minnesota and Josh Kline was signed this offseason to be the team’s new starting right guard. Kline struggled in 2018, but he did decent during the previous two seasons according to Pro Football Focus.

Starting center Pat Elflein was also dinged up plenty last year. Vikings offensive tackle Brian O’Neill was a nice surprise for the team as a rookie in 2018 and could end up being Minnesota’s starting right tackle for years to come.

Interior offensive lineman Brett Jones recently re-signed with Minnesota despite the fact that he did not see much playing time last season, which was a bit of a mystery. His ability to play both guard and center adds good depth to the team though. If the Vikings do end up selecting with a guard in either the first two rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft, Jones could also start at left guard if the rookie is not yet ready to step in.

Cousins should also benefit from having another season in Minnesota. He developed a nice chemistry with Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph last year. Having a full offseason with offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski will also help Cousins and the entire offense as a whole.

The health of running back Dalvin Cook will be critical once again for the Vikings in 2019. He has shown how valuable he can be when he is on the field, but he has just struggled to stay on it.

The biggest question for Minnesota, once again, will be the offensive line. If the unit can even play at an average level, it will be a huge plus. The Vikings are hoping that new offensive line coach Rick Dennison and offensive advisor Gary Kubiak will help the offensive line take strides in the right direction next season.

Minnesota’s schedule for 2019 also looks like it will be very difficult. But it actually may not end up being as tough as it looks.

The Vikings still have the draft coming up later this month too and if they can add some solid prospects, it’s possible that they could get back to the playoffs next season and make a deep run.