Made-up stat ranks Vikings behind two teams they already beat

ESPN's FPI has Minnesota as the eighth-best team in the NFL, behind Green Bay and San Francisco.

Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus celebrates the interception from cornerback Stephon Gilmore in the fourth quarter against New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Oct. 6, 2024. / Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

The Vikings entered the bye week a perfect 5-0, and three of those wins are against teams with a record of .500 or better. If that's not enough, the Vikings also currently lead the NFL in point differential at plus-63 through those five games.

Minnesota has changed the outlook of its season and established itself as a true powerhouse in the NFC. They beat the reigning NFC champion, the San Francisco 49ers, and have showed no signs of slowing down since their season-opening win against the New York Giants back on Sept. 8. They've put themselves into best team in the league conversations.

But not so fast. At least not according to ESPN's Football Power Index, or FPI, which ranks the Vikings as the eighth-best team in the NFL, behind two teams they've beaten. If you're not familiar, FPI is a made-up stat ESPN created as a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season."

The metric supposedly represents how many points above or below average a team is. The Vikings are 2.3 points above average, according to ESPN's FPI, despite touting the league's best point differential. Doesn't seem to quite add up.

That leaves them with the No. 8 spot in the FPI rankings, inexplicably behind the 49ers (4.9 points above average) and Green Bay Packers (4.4) — two teams the Vikings beat with relative ease — who came in at fourth and fifth, respectively.

Point differential doesn't seem to matter in ESPN's FPI, and neither does team record. The 49ers are just 3-3, and the Vikings also came in behind the 3-2 Buffalo Bills (4.3) and the 3-2 Philadelphia Eagles, who were sixth and seventh in the FPI rankings, respectively. The Detroit Lions (6.8), Baltimore Ravens (6.1) and Kansas City Chiefs (5.8) came in at the top-three spots, respectively, while the Houston Texans (2.0) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1.8) rounded out the top 10.

Ultimately, the made-up ESPN stats matter little in the grand scheme of the season, but perhaps the Vikings can earn some respect with a win over the Lions in a big NFC North showdown on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Lions are the defending division champs and coming off a dominant win Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, while the Vikings put their unbeaten record on the line in a game that could be significant in the division standings down the line.

It's certain to be a great game. Kickoff in Minneapolis on Sunday is scheduled for noon.