Obviously, things didn't go the way that the Minnesota Vikings were hoping for last season, but they did still manage to finish the 2025 campaign with a respectable 9-8 record.
And then, earlier this year, the Vikings went out and added an upgrade at the quarterback position in Kyler Murray, which helped add at least a little bit of optimism to the thinking that Minnesota can turn things back around next season.
So, to see the Vikings slotted in the No. 28 spot in the post-2026 NFL Draft power rankings from NFL.com's Eric Edholm was certainly a shock for most throughout Minnesota's fanbase to come across.
Luckily, Edholm was kind enough to join FanSided's Chris Schad on the most recent episode of "The Viking Age Podcast," and he shared the reasoning behind why he currently has the Vikings ranked as one of the worst teams in the entire NFL.
"Let me try to let me try to put it in the right framework. It may be a little harsh. I can probably admit that.
[But] I was looking this morning at Super Bowl odds, and there are only 10 teams with longer odds to make the Super Bowl than the Vikings [next season]. So, [the ranking is] not a massive stretch away.
I also kind of worry a little bit, just about Kyler Murray being the savior, if you will. And look, I'm a Kyler [fan]. I like him in theory.
I think there's some construction that needs to be done around him, and we're gonna see what the offense actually looks like [with him] and everything.
But [they're in a] tough division. Likely a tough schedule this year. [There's] still some questions."
Eric Edholm defends giving the Minnesota Vikings the 28th spot in his post-NFL Draft power rankings
After talking about the uncertainty about Murray coming in and being an immediate savior for Minnesota under center (rightfully so), he made sure to point out that the Vikings are still in arguably the toughest division in the NFL.
"I think Kevin O'Connell is a really good coach. I think Brian Flores is a really good coach. And I think, obviously, you look at some of their top-tier players, [they've] got some good ones.
But, how it's all gonna come together, we'll see.
I suspect [the power ranking is] gonna probably look a little foolish in time. I mean, they clearly have a lot more going for them than a lot of teams in that range. But at the same time, it kind of comes down to how many games can [they] win in a tough division.
I mean, if some team in [the NFC North] is gonna be ranked fairly close to 28 by the end of the year, I don't know who, if it's not gonna be the Vikings.
I don't know if it's the Packers. It could be the Bears. Could be the Lions. I mean, we're not 100 percent sure they're gonna be back to full strength again, but given it's rare that you see all four teams in one division, and last year, I guess, they kind of proved it, but, all thrive.
So I just kind of wonder if there might be some close losses and things like that."
Edholm's detailed explanation on the TVA Podcast certainly adds a lot more clarity to his thinking behind his latest ranking for Minnesota.
Not only is Murray taking over at quarterback and succeeding for the Vikings next season far from a guarantee, but the team also has to compete with three other very talented squads in their own division in 2026.
Like Minnesota, the Detroit Lions will be looking to erase the pain from last season and turn things around in 2026. And both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will be attempting to make it even further in the playoffs in the upcoming season than they were able to during the 2025 campaign.
Hopefully, the Vikings are able to change the minds of Edholm and others next season with a performance that's closer to what they were able to do in 2024 or 2022. But that's also much easier said than done.
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