Ope, Stephen A. Smith is just gonna fix that Packers-over-Vikings error

The Vikings dropped in national power rankings after suffering their first loss of the season

Stephen A. Smith pointing out a mistake on the graphic showing the Packers as the fifth best team in the NFL, instead of the Vikings. / First Take/ESPN

Stephen A. Smith revealed his weekly top-5 teams in the NFL on the Tuesday edition of First Take, which featured the Vikings coming in at No. 5. However, it wasn't initially that way.

When the graphic for the No. 5 team came up on the monitor behind Smith, it was the Green Bay Packers who appeared as Smith's fifth-ranked team in the NFL. Smith was quick to take the blame for the error, saying, "I meant to give the producers the Vikings. I messed up on that, not them."

"My bad. It's not the Packers, it's the Vikings," continued Smith.

It was an honorable and notable move for Smith to own up to the mistake, instead of taking the cheesy route and throwing his producers under the bus. However, Smith's employer had already displayed a willingness to put the Packers over the Vikings this week.

.@stephenasmith gives his top 5️⃣ NFL teams through Week 7:

1. @Lions
2. @Chiefs
3. @Ravens
4. @BuffaloBills
5. @Vikings pic.twitter.com/YJf6bemWRt

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 22, 2024

In their weekly power rankings, ESPN dropped the Vikings four spots — from No. 2 to No. 6 — after Sunday's loss to the Lions. The drop saw Minnesota fall behind the Packers (No. 5) despite already beating Green Bay this season (at Lambeau Field) and the Packers having two losses on their record.

What makes the placement even more surprising is that the Packers moved up three spots this week after narrowly beating the Texans by two points on Sunday. That's odd considering the Vikings obliterated the Texans when they had star wide receiver Nico Collins on the field. Collins didn't play against the Packers due to a hamstring injury.

Taking it a step further, the Lions were previously ranked as the No. 3 team on ESPN's power rankings while the Texans were No. 4. After the weekend's results, the Lions are now No. 2 while the Texans dropped to No. 7. So, the Vikings narrowly lost to a team that ESPN had previously said was better than the one the Packers beat, yet still fell behind Green Bay in the power rankings. Make it make sense.

After a questionable power ranking order, is it fair to ask if the "error" on the First Take graphic was actually an error after all? We'll never know the truth!