Vikings take another leap in NFL power rankings after crushing Texans

The national media appear to be getting on the Vikings bandwagon after a 3-0 start

Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans react during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Another week and another massive statement win for the Vikings. After demolishing the Texans, the national pundits appear to have dropped their skepticism of this year's Vikings team.

We have compiled a batch of power rankings from across several different media sources and put them in one comprehensive list. Let's see where the Vikings and their NFC North foes rank...

The Athletic - No. 4 (Up from No. 7)

Josh Kendall of The Athletic, while still holding out the possibility of Darnold turning into a "pumpkin," points out that Darnold now leads the league touchdown passes and has the third-best passer rating.

CBS Sports - No. 3 (Up from No. 5)

Like Kendall, CBS's Pete Prisco appears to be hopping on the Darnold bandwagon, remarking on the good news that Darnold wasn't seriously hurt in the 34-7 win over the Texans.

SI.com - No. 5 (Up from No. 9)

Connor Orr singles out the Vikings suffocating defense in the team's 3-0 start, calling the performances "masterful."

NFL.com - No. 3 (Up from No. 15)

The Vikings take their biggest leap in Eric Edholm's power rankings over at NFL.com, jumping up 12 spots this week. Edholm, like Orr, called Brian Flores' defense "masterful" and reckoned that the Vikings defensive coordinator could be a head coaching candidate by the end of the season.

Yahoo! - No. 4 (Up from No. 11)

Darnold once again earned praise for his "fantastic start" with Frank Schwab writing there is "no reason to believe he can't continue this pace."

ESPN - No. 3 (Up from No. 11)

After taking an 11-spot leap last week, the Vikings move up eight spots in this week's ESPN power rankings. ESPN's Kevin Seifert points out the Vikings ranking fourth in the league in scoring (26 points per game) and overall offensive efficiency (72.03).

PFT - No. 7 (Up from No. 11)

Mike Florio calls the Vikings the "most balanced team in the NFL" while still holding one of the lower rankings of the Vikings across the complied rankings.

Fox Sports - No. 11 (Up from No. 17)

The lowest spot in the compiled rankings goes to David Helman of Fox Sports, who has the Vikings outside the top-10 at No. 11 in the league. Despite the relatively low ranking, Helman writes that he doesn't think the hot start is a fluke, pointing to the defensive success so far this season as a good foundation for the team.

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 Lions remain in the top-five after a 20-13 win over the Cardinals. The Packers, despite missing their starting QB, remain a top-10 team, with some even putting them as high as No. 3 overall. The Bears dropped in the standings again after another lackluster performance in a 21-16 loss to the Colts.

Detroit Lions

Average ranking: 4.57 (Up from No. 5.57)
Highest: The Athletic/Fox Sports/Yahoo! - No. 3
Lowest: CBS Sports - No. 10

Green Bay Packers

Average ranking: 7.86 (Up from No. 11.71)
Highest: SI - No. 3
Lowest: Yahoo! - No. 12

Chicago Bears

Average ranking: 23.43 (Down from No. 21)
Highest: CBS Sports - No. 18
Lowest: The Athletic/ESPN - No. 26