NFL power rankings are low on Vikings heading into 2024 season

Nobody expects the Vikings to be good this season. Can they use that to their advantage?

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Basically nobody outside of Minnesota expects the Sam Darnold-led Vikings to be any good this season. Their Vegas win total of 6.5 is tied for fourth-worst in the NFL. ESPN recently ran a simulation of the 2024 campaign that resulted in the Vikings getting the No. 1 overall pick. As you're about to see, the Week 1 edition of power rankings from various prominent outlets have Minnesota as a universal bottom-ten team in the league.

The lack of external expectations should serve as a good bulletin board material for Kevin O'Connell and his team. This is a group with an excellent coaching staff and a talented, experienced roster. It'll all come down to how Darnold plays. If he's at least solid, these Vikings are positioned to surprise a lot of people.

Let's take a look at the media power rankings to see what they're saying about Minnesota heading into Sunday's opener against the Giants.

Conor Orr, SI.com: No. 23

Who is here for a really good Sam Darnold season? I think Darnold entered the league as a flawed player, was hurled to the wolves despite a well-meaning coach who tried to protect him and ended up bouncing around. Is this his Baker Mayfield glow-up campaign? I have the Vikings finishing 7–10 this year, but it won’t be a season doomed by the offense. It’s always uncomfortable when a franchise has some of the right pieces in place but not others. There seems like a clear disconnect between what Kevin O’Connell wants and what he’s getting, though for now he’s making chicken salad out of the ingredients (I happen to like chicken salad).  

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: No. 23

Preseason vibes: Depressing deja vu. J.J. McCarthy, meet Kirk Cousins, meet Sam Bradford, meet Teddy Bridgewater. Since 2016, the Vikings have had the worst quarterback injury luck in the league. McCarthy, the 10th pick in April’s draft, suffered a season-ending meniscus injury in the preseason opener. Now, Minnesota turns to Sam Darnold, the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft who has a 21-35 career record as a starter.

Mike Clay, ESPN: No. 26

Minnesota's defense is solid after making a few key additions to help offset the departure of Danielle Hunter, but it's hard to expect much from an offense that has gone from Kirk Cousins (now in Atlanta) to Sam Darnold. Coach Kevin O'Connell will need to work his magic without J.J. McCarthy as a potential starter after his season-ending meniscus tear.

Eric Edholm, NFL.com: No. 23

Since we last met, J.J. McCarthy began making a run at the starting job and ... you know what happened after that. It was an extremely disappointing development for a first-round QB who started his offseason very slowly but looked to be coming on strong in the preseason. That’s not to say that Sam Darnold can’t thrive in an offense with Justin Jefferson, a good offensive line and several other playmakers. Perhaps Darnold has his first real chance to thrive in the NFL, given the personnel, and the defense has enough pieces to make incremental gains over last year. But the schedule is no joke, especially in the NFC North, where the other three teams might be serious playoff contenders. I don’t think the Vikings aren’t a playoff contender suddenly, and Kevin O’Connell showed me he could coach amid a QB mess a year ago — with eight of their 10 losses coming by a total of 31 points — but I think they’re still a year away.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: No. 26

J.J. McCarthy being out for the season isn't good in any way, but now the Vikings can take a long look at Sam Darnold without worrying about when to start McCarthy. For Darnold, it's now or never on proving he can be a long-term NFL starter.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: No. 25

Can they resurrect Sam Darnold's career? Even if they do, they are still the fourth team in the division.

David Helman, FOX Sports: No. 23

It's time to see just what Sam Darnold has learned over the past few years. He's got one more shot at a starting job, and the Vikings are a much better team than the Carolina teams he played for in 2021-22. If Darnold is good, this is a surprisingly frisky Vikings team. If he's bad, a fourth-place finish is on deck.

Nate Davis, USA Today: No. 24

Finding a positive spin to rookie J.J. McCarthy's season-ending knee injury isn't easy. But quarterback certainty, the arrival of CB Stephon Gilmore and a near lack of expectations could make the Vikes far more dangerous than they're being given credit for.