NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Vikings Impress in Defeat
They were so close.
The Vikings outplayed the Seahawks for the first 35 minutes of Sunday night's thrilling game, then bounced back from a disastrous stretch to retake the lead and give themselves a chance to deliver a knockout blow. The rest, of course, is history. Alexander Mattison was stuffed on fourth and inches, Russell Wilson converted two fourth downs to D.K. Metcalf, and the Vikings left Seattle hanging their heads after another missed opportunity dropped them to 1-4 on the season.
As a result, the Vikings are in a weird spot right now. They're clearly not a terrible team like the first two games of 2020 suggested. After three straight solid performances, they're up to 11th in Football Outsiders' DVOA rankings, ahead of a number of teams with winning records. But the record is what it is, and no one will feel pity on them for having faced an extremely difficult schedule. Even if they're a great 1-4 team, they're still 1-4 and coming up short against the Titans and Seahawks means they're almost certainly out of playoff contention.
Like we do every week, let's check in on the national power rankings and see where the Vikings fall. After ranking between 17th and 25th last week, I don't expect too much change based on their performance in primetime.
SI MMQB: No. 16 (Up 2 spots)
Sometimes you put together the perfect game plan, execute it well, make all the right situational decisions… and you come up short because your guy slipped and picked the wrong hole on fourth-and-inches, while their guy plucked a rainbow up the sideline despite being well-covered on fourth-and-10. Or because sometimes the football gods just decide they’d like to point and laugh at you. Sorry, Mike Zimmer.
ESPN.com: No. 21 (No change)
Biggest weakness: Pass blocking
Minnesota is getting great play out of tackles Riley Reiff and Brian O'Neill, but its pass protection on the interior of the offensive line remains an issue. The Vikings rank 22nd in pass block win rate and can't establish an effective dropback game because of it. In Seattle on Sunday, Kirk Cousins got hit nearly every time he released the football out of the shotgun in the second half. The QB's third-quarter fumble after being sacked (a turnover that allowed Seattle to score two plays later) was the direct result of porous pass protection.
Sheil Kapadia, The Athletic: No. 18 (Down 2 spots)
Minnesota is in a 1-4 hole, but this is an improving team. The Vikings had 31 first downs and 449 yards of offense. The defense played well for most of the game too. I’m not counting them out yet for a wild-card berth.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: No. 24 (Down 1 spot)
They are 1-4 and in big trouble, but they played well at Seattle. The Dalvin Cook injury isn't a good thing for the run-based offense.
Dan Hanzus, NFL.com: No. 19 (Down 2 spots)
The Vikings did just about everything right on Sunday night, but they couldn't close out the Seahawks in a 27-26 loss that will haunt them. The game's final two minutes were harrowing: Minnesota failed to convert a fourth-and-1 from Seattle's 6-yard line, then could do nothing to stop Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf as Seattle marched 94 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Minnesota held the ball for nearly 40 minutes and showed resilience in regaining control of a game that seemed to slip away when Seattle scored three touchdowns in 1:53 of play in the third quarter. In effect, the Vikings controlled 55 of the contest's 60 minutes and still got beat. It's almost impossible.
Bleacher Report: No. 20 (Down 2 spots)
Minnesota's 1-4 record is somewhat misleading since the Vikings' last two losses occurred while giving up scores with less than two minutes left to play. Zimmer's squad has the talent to win, but it's failing to close out games. With the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers sporting a combined 8-1 record, it's difficult to envision the Vikings turning the season around completely. An upcoming matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, who just fired their head coach and general manager, could get Minnesota back on track.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: No. 20 (Down 1 spot)
It’s easy to criticize Mike Zimmer after the fact for going for it on fourth down. It didn’t work, and Russell Wilson drove downfield to beat them. It wasn’t a bad decision to go for it. He should have maybe run a quarterback sneak, which is practically automatic. Later in the game, he absolutely should have used his timeouts when Seattle’s offense got inside the 20-yard line. That’s an egregious clock management error. But going for it, trying to keep the ball away from Wilson, was not a mistake.
Nate Davis, USA Today: No. 22 (Down 2 spots)
They needed 1 yard on fourth down deep in Seattle territory to notch huge road win. Didn't get it. Whatever. Mike Zimmer made right call.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: No. 22 (No change)
The Vikings are trying to duct tape their young defense with zone heavy approach combined with blitzing, and it's working a little better. Unfortunately, despite the offense's rushing dominance, they are making a few too many mistakes there.
Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk: No. 25 (No change)
They squandered their best chance to beat Seattle, without an assist from Blair Walsh.
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