Vikings slide in NFL power rankings after Week 3 disappointment

Vikings power rankings heading into Week 4

In last week’s power rankings, experts weren’t too kind to the Vikings after they were absolutely dismantled by the Indianapolis Colts and were manhandled in their season opener against the Green Bay Packers.

While Week 3 offered more hope for Minnesota and the team’s fans, another loss added to their record makes things look bleak. But how did the experts react to this polarizing performance from the purple and gold in their most recent power rankings? Let’s take a look.

Bleacher Report

22nd (↓ 3)

• “The Vikings are terrible defensively, which is a weird thing to say about a team coached by Mike Zimmer.” – B/R NFL Staff

USA Today Sports

22nd (↑ 2)

•  “Only Carolina has fewer sacks than Minnesota’s three.” – USA Today’s Nate Davis

ESPN

21st (↓ 2)

• “What we got wrong: The interior of Minnesota’s OL would improve in 2020.” – ESPN’s NFL Nation

Sports Illustrated

24th (↓ 1)

• “Kirk Cousins threw six interceptions in all of 2019. Three games into the 2020 season, he’s already matched that total.” – Jenny Vrentas

Sporting News

28th (↓ 4)

• “The Vikings’ defense simply cannot stop anything that matters, whether it’s run or pass.” – Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer

NFL.com

20th (No change)

• “You can hang this latest setback on the defense, which allowed 444 yards.”  – NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus

Yahoo Sports

25th (↓ 2)

• “They’re in a division with two 3-0 teams, and it’s really hard to see Minnesota digging out of this hole.” – Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab

Pro Football Network

22nd (↑ 2)

• “This was far and away from the best Minnesota has played yet this year, but they still couldn’t pull it out against the Titans and now sit at 0-3.” – Pro Football Network’s Matt Williamson

ProFootballTalk

30th (↓ 2)

• “Trevor Lawrence would look great in purple.” – ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio

CBS Sports

29th (↓ 4)

• “At 0-3, their season is basically over.” – CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco

This week, the average placement of Minnesota among these power rankings is 24.3, down 1.2 spots from last week’s average. Considering the team took another loss this week, that decrease isn’t too bad.

Interestingly enough, the team’s most popular spot in these power rankings improved from 23 to 20. Perhaps some experts were encouraged by some of the offensive performances during the game against the Titans.

Also, the range of placement is wild. The Vikings appear on these power rankings anywhere between 20 and 30, meaning that through three weeks of NFL action that experts are still divided on how much doom and gloom the Vikings are experiencing.