Vikings Power Rankings: How far did Minnesota fall after Week 14?

Vikings power rankings heading into Week 15

Last week’s power rankings were a bit of a mixed bag for the Vikings. While some experts loved that Minnesota battled back and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, others saw a team struggling against inferior competition and thought they didn’t belong among the top half of the league.

Now that there are more questions about the Vikings and they were just dealt a loss from a playoff contender, the expectation is that Minnesota will take a substantial dive in the national power rankings heading into their game against the Chicago Bears. But is that what happened?

Here is where the experts have the Vikings ranked heading into Week 15.

Bleacher Report

20th (↓1)

• “The Minnesota Vikings came into Week 14 as a playoff team. They did not leave it that way.” – B/R NFL Staff

USA Today Sports

20th (↑1)

• “Minnesota’s leading sack man remains Yannick Ngakoue (5), who last played for Vikes in Week 6.” – USA Today’s Nate Davis

ESPN

16th (↑1)

• “Another mistake-laden loss would likely derail the Vikings’ playoff hopes.” – ESPN’s Courtney Cronin

Sports Illustrated

16th (↑3)

• “The loss in Tampa Bay set them back in their quest to salvage their season.” – SI’s Jenny Vrentas

Sporting News

15th (no change)

• “The playoffs can still be reached, but they’re a shell of the division-round advancers from 2019.” – Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer

NFL.com

17th (↓1)

• “The Curse Of The Viking Kicker is more powerful than any man who tries to break it.” – NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus

Yahoo Sports

15th (no change)

• “Dan Bailey’s four missed kicks and a baffling pass interference call on a Hail Mary sunk the Vikings.” – Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab

Pro Football Network

15th (↓1)

• “Minnesota controlled this game early on against the Buccaneers, but that quickly faded.” – Pro Football Network’s Matt Williamson

ProFootballTalk

15th (↓1)

• “And now they’ll beat the Bears and then the Saints and then have a chance to get into the playoffs by beating the Lions in Week 17 . . . and lose.” – ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio

CBS Sports

19th (↓1)

• “So much for the idea they will make the playoffs. They are done.” – CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco

Last week, Minnesota averaged a placement of 16.7 in the national power rankings which dropped them one-tenth of a spot. This week, they once again moved down one-tenth of a spot, landing at an average ranking of 16.8.

The most common spot to find the Vikings this week is 15th. That’s also interesting because it is the best ranking the team received following their Week 14 loss. The fact that those two are the same is a good sign for positivity.

Also, the range of spots where the Vikings landed tightened up a little. The team was ranked anywhere from 15 to 20, decreasing the range from seven to six spots. With only three games left in the regular season, the range should continue to tighten up each week.