Vikings climb into top 10 in NFL power rankings

The Minnesota Vikings were all over the board as different media organizations tried to put together their preseason NFL Power Rankings for 2015.

While there is no concise determination about where the Vikings belong in the hierarchy of NFL teams, one thing is certain – a four-game winning streak and their best start since 2009 has the Vikings on the rise.

Perhaps the most notable feather in the Vikings cap this week comes from ESPN, where for the first time since 2012, Minnesota has reached the top 10. ESPN ranked the Vikings eighth in this week's power rankings.

"The Vikings have won four straight games and are off to their best start since 2009 (when they started 7-1), but their next five opponents are the Raiders, Packers, Falcons, Seahawks and Cardinals."

ESPN's Ben Goessling notes the Vikings probably aren't going to fill up the scoreboard or highlight reel, but he says they are "turning into a battle-tested team that's gaining confidence each week."

SB Nation has the Vikings ranked even higher, putting them at 5th in this week's power rankings. What's interesting about that is, according to SB Nation, the Vikings are the highest-ranking team in the NFC North – two spots ahead of Green Bay.

CBS's Pat Kirwin would tend to agree; he has the Vikings ranked sixth in his top 10, while two straight losses have the Packers slipping to seventh.

"At 6-2, the Vikings are thinking more than wild card now. They can compete with Green Bay for the NFC North title. Teddy Bridgewater's health is biggest question for this team right now."

And the Vikings are also up a spot in FOX Sports' power rankings as well. Minnesota moved up from seventh to sixth this week.

The Vikings travel to Oakland on Sunday.