Vikings Power Rankings: Minnesota inches upward after Week 10 win

Vikings power rankings heading into Week 11

Last week’s power rankings found that the Vikings continue to rise from the dead after previously plummeting down the charts. With another victory over a division rival who had a better overall record than them, odds were that the team would continue to climb.

Minnesota’s defense was dominant over the Bears, holding them to only 149 total yards of offense. Meanwhile, the Vikings offense was steadily chipping away at the Chicago defensive line until some big plays opened up.

But what does this good performance mean for the national power rankings this week? How much (if any) will Minnesota rise in the rankings? Can the Vikings add to their three-game winning streak when they play the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11?

Before looking too far ahead, here are where the experts have the Vikings placed in their most recent power rankings moving into Week 10.

Bleacher Report

18th (↑ 1)

• “This is a Minnesota team that could be 7-5 when it travels to Tampa in Week 14. Not that long ago, that appeared laughable.” – B/R NFL Staff

USA Today Sports

18th (no change)

•  “It wasn’t pretty, but QB Kirk Cousins broke a nine-game losing streak on ‘Monday Night Football.”‘ – USA Today’s Nate Davis

ESPN

19th (no change)

• “What if Minnesota signed a veteran interior offensive lineman?” – ESPN’s Courtney Cronin

Sports Illustrated

17th (no change)

• “The Vikings have been hit with problem after problem, and they’re still square in the NFC playoff race.” – Albert Breer

Sporting News

18th (↑ 1)

• “The Vikings can’t do much about the results ahead of them in the NFC and the fact they don’t get to play in the East to overcome a slow start.” – Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer

NFL.com

16th (no change)

• “Their 1-5 start feels like ancient history now.”  – NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus

Yahoo Sports

16th (↑ 1)

• “The Vikings won’t be fun to play for future opponents.” – Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab

Pro Football Network

18th (↑ 1)

• “They have extremely favorable games on the schedule over the next three weeks.” – Pro Football Network’s Matt Williamson

ProFootballTalk

16th (↑ 2)

• “With the running game not what it’s been, the defense and the passing game surprisingly stepped up.” – ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio

CBS Sports

16th (↑ 3)

• “With three straight victories and a soft three-game stretch coming up, they have turned their season around. ” – CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco

When averaging all these numbers, the Minnesota Vikings are averaging a ranking of 17,2. That is an improvement of 0.9 from the previous average of 18.1. These 10 experts didn’t move the team up much, so a tiny jump is logical.

The most common place to find the purple and gold in these power rankings is 18th, where four experts placed them. That is a one-spot improvement from last week, where five individuals placed the team 19th.

The range of placement didn’t change at all from the previous week. Once again, the best spot is 16 with the lowest being 19. That four spot range seems to be based on the individual rankers’ opinions rather than a common view of the team.