Vikings Begin to Climb National Power Rankings
Dustin Baker
|
Kellen Mond returns from a coronavirus absence, Anthony Barr is back from a weird hiatus, and Justin Jefferson is not seriously hurt after last week’s brief horror film.
Those are the big takeaways from Vikings dealings as the team prepares for a preseason tryst with the Denver Broncos on Saturday. Worlds collide in the exhibition fest with George Paton, a former Vikings executive, bringing his Denver roster to Minnesota which includes former Vikings quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater.
It’s also primetime for NFL preseason power rankings. While such pecking orders do not define how a team will perform in the upcoming season, power rankings do substantiate current public opinion.
A few weeks ago, Bleacher Report christened Minnesota the NFL’s 21st-best team, a curiously low standing for a Vikings roster that is suddenly deep and stocked with talent. Bleacher Report wasn’t alone. NBC Sports piled on with #19 for its Vikings placement. Both marks are in the back half of the league, situated in the neighborhood of teams like the Washington Football Team and Chicago Bears.
Befuddlement describes the reaction by Vikings fans. From head to toe on the roster, Minnesota seems like a team worthy of 16th-or-better recognition.
Well, somebody finally realizes it. Pro Football Network authored its own rankings, jostling the Vikings to #14, a seven-spot ascent from Bleacher Report’s opinion three weeks ago.
That’s more like it – at least per the sentiment in the Twin Cities. This rendition of the Vikings feels like the most talented roster compilation since the start of 2018, and before that, 2009.
Dalton Miller explained his #14 ranking for the Vikings:
“The Vikings allowed their defensive personnel to dissipate over time but made an effort to repair wounds this offseason. They added multiple defenders to the interior and get Danielle Hunter back in 2021. They cut last season’s first-round pick, Jeff Gladney, after his felony domestic violence indictment. Kirk Cousins and this offense should help elevate the team to playoff contention in 2021.”
Mike Zimmer’s team will need to be better than #14 in the business – and certainly more competent than #21 – for Vikings operations to continue in a fashion that is familiar. High stakes envelop this season because the good-one-year-mediocre-the-next system is becoming stale. The Vikings should contend for the playoffs each season rather than every other year per the existing arrangement.
In that regard, 2021 is penultimate for key Vikings personalities, particularly Mike Zimmer and Kirk Cousins. Another playoff non-inclusion would almost guarantee a change at head coach while the front office would probably start grooming Kellen Mond for QB1 responsibility. And that means Cousins could be dangled in front of a different team.
All of that is meaningless if the Vikings, under Zimmer and Cousins, propel Minnesota to a deep playoff run. An NFC Championship-or-better result in 2021 would buy the twosome a ticket to 2022.
Likeminded teams to the Vikings at the moment? Per the Pro Football Network rankings, Minnesota is sandwiched between the New Orleans Saints (#15) and the Arizona Cardinals (#13).