Where the Vikings, NFC North foes place in Week 2 power rankings

The Vikings moved up several spots but power rankers remain largely skeptical of how good Minnesota might be.

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) celebrates his interception with teammates during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books and that means it's the beginning of the weekly release of power rankings across the spectrum of NFL media. After a dominant 28-6 win over the Giants, the Vikings have certainly helped themselves but only marginally in most power rankings.

We have compiled a batch of power rankings from across several different media sources and put them in one comprehensive list. Here is that list below, as well as where the Vikings' NFC North division foes also ranked...

The Athletic - No. 14 (up from No. 23)

The highest ranking of the week belongs to the one dished out by Josh Kendell of The Athletic, who wrote "It’s the Sam Darnold Show, and the first episode wasn’t that bad."

CBS Sports - No. 18 (up from No. 25)

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has the Vikings moving up seven spots in his rankings this week, writing, "Sam Darnold impressed in leading the Vikings over the Giants. The defense also came up big. This team might be better than expected."

SI.com - No. 18 (up from N/A)

SI's Connor Orr was impressed by the work of the Vikings coaching staff in Week 1, writing, "Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores continue to set themselves apart as one of the great play-caller tandems in the NFL."

Orr, like many others this week, was impressed by Darnold's solid debut.

"Sam Darnold didn’t throw an incomplete pass until near halftime. He doesn’t look anything like the player the Jets and Panthers were sure had no long-term prospects. Imagine that," wrote Orr.

NFL.com - No. 20 (up from No. 23)

The Vikings jumped up three spots in Eric Edholm's rankings.

"It was a terrific start for the intriguing Vikings, but the schedule gets pretty serious (vs. 49ers, vs. Texans, at Packers) over the next three Sundays," Edholm wrote.

Yahoo! - No. 20 (up from No. 26)

"We'll see if Week 1 was more about Sam Darnold taking a first step in a career revival or the Giants being awful on defense," Yahoo's Frank Schwab wrote as he moved the Vikings up six spots. "What we do know is Darnold had one of the best games of his career. Given the positive environment around him, he might have a good season."

ESPN - No. 22 (up from No. 23)

Minnesota jumped up only one spot in ESPN's power rankings, with Kevin Seifert noting, "Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell gave out five game balls after Sunday's 28-6 victory over the New York Giants, and four of them went to newcomers. But none were more impactful than Darnold, who completed 15 of his first 17 passes."

PFT - No. 24 (up from No. 25)

Noted Vikings fan Mike Florio was, perhaps, the harshest of all power rankers, placing Minnesota all the way down at No. 24. Florio moved the Vikings up just one spot this week, writing, "It’s hard to tell whether the Vikings simply beat up on a bad team, or whether they have a chance to be good."

Division watch

Below are where the rest of the NFC North ranked in the compilation of power rankings above. We've averaged out the rankings into one number for clarity. The biggest note was the unsurprising drop for the Packers after an opening week loss and the injury to starting QB Jordan Love. Green Bay dropped from an average spot of No. 6 heading into the season, all the way down to averaging out at No. 14 this week, with some placing the Packers in the 20s.

Detroit Lions

Average ranking: No. 3.14 (up from 3.5)
Highest ranking: No. 2 (SI)
Lowest ranking: No. 5 (The Athletic)

Green Bay Packers

Average ranking: No. 14.14 (down from No. 6.66)
Highest ranking: No. 6 (SI)
Lowest ranking: No. 24 (Yahoo!)

Chicago Bears

Average ranking: No. 15.71 (up from No. 15.8)
Highest ranking: No. 13 (PFT)
Lowest ranking: No. 19 (SI)