Vikings climb in a few power rankings after eighth straight win

If Minnesota win out, they will hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs

Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell stands on the sidelines against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Vikings extended their win streak to eight games with another game-winning drive by Sam Darnold on Sunday in Seattle. With the win, the Vikings continue to climb in late-season power rankings.

PFT - No. 3 (Last week: No. 4)

Mike Florio has turned from doubter to full-blown believer, calling the Vikings "the most overlooked 13-2 team the NFL has ever seen" as he bumped Minnesota into his top three with just two weeks left in the regular season.

FOX Sports - No. 3 (Last week: No. 4)

Minnesota's win keeps them on pace to potentially have the entire NFC run through them in January. FOX noted that it "won't be easy" to claim the No. 1 seed with the schedule ahead for the Vikings.

SI.com - No. 4 (Last week: No. 5)

The Vikings jumped up one spot in SI's rankings, notably moving above the Eagles who lost to the Commanders on Sunday.

CBS Sports - No. 4 (Last week: No. 5)

CBS moved the Vikings up one spot after beating the Seahawks, noting the "tough" schedule remaining for Minnesota but the chance to claim the top seed in the conference if they win out.

The Athletic - No. 5 (Last week: No. 5)

Minnesota stayed at No. 5 in The Athletic's rankings, though they even noted "we're running out of reasons to write off the Vikings."

NFL.com - No. 5 (Last week: No. 5)

Like The Athletic, NFL.com has the Vikings staying at No. 5 this week. Eric Edholm acknowledged that Darnold has surpassed "whatever I thought the ceiling was this season" for the Vikings quarterback.

Yahoo! - No. 5 (Last week: No. 5)

Yahoo stated the game-winning drive on Sunday by Darnold "builds character" and acknowledging that the Vikings could be in a similar situation — trailing in the final five minutes of a game — in the postseason.

ESPN - No. 5 (Last week: No. 5)

Kicker Will Reichard was dubbed the Vikings' rookie of the year by ESPN, who kept the Vikings at No. 5 in their power rankings.

Division watch

The Lions jumped out to a 13-0 first quarter lead against the Bears on Sunday and never looked back, as they got back in the win column. Chicago continues its downward spiral with a ninth consecutive loss. Green Bay completed the first shutout of the season, blanking the Saints 34-0 on Monday Night Football, ahead of a Week 17 clash with the Vikings in Minnesota.

Below reveals where NFC North teams rank in the compilation of power rankings. We averaged the rankings into one number for clarity.

Detroit Lions

Average ranking: No. 2.625 (Last week: No. 3.5)
Highest ranking: FOX/The Athletic/SI/ESPN - No. 2
Lowest ranking: PFT - No. 4

Green Bay Packers

Average ranking: No. 6 (Last week: No. 5.75)
Highest ranking: CBS - No. 5
Lowest ranking: ESPN - No. 7

Chicago Bears

Average ranking: No. 24.75 (Last week: No. 24.375)
Highest ranking: PFT/CBS/NFL - No. 24
Lowest ranking: SI.com - No. 26