Some of the post-Week 1 Power Rankings are starting to trickle out from around this vast Interweb of ours. . .and, naturally, the Vikings are moving up the ranks in pretty much all of them. Let's take a look at some of the ones that are out now, shall we?
Rookie RB Adrian Peterson touched the ball 20 times and produced 163 yards of offense, including a 60-yard TD catch. He actually might need to shoulder more of the load depending on the severity of Chester Taylor's injury.
You want to know what's funny? Green Bay wins a game where they showed nothing on offense and may have gotten shut out if the Philadelphia Eagles had employed anybody capable of fielding a punt, and they moved up seven spots in the ESPN rankings (from #24 to #17). Minnesota decimates their opponents for four quarters, and gets a three-spot bump. Hilarious.
The Vikings defense put on quite a show against the Falcons Sunday in Minneapolis. Leslie Frazier's unit gave up only 265 yards, scored two defensive touchdowns, had six sacks, and grabbed two interceptions. Complete dominance. On offense, Adrian Peterson ripped off 163 total yards and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson played well enough in his third career start. The Vikings could end up being a lot better than expected in 2007. With arguably the best offensive and defensive lines in football, they might very well be NFC playoff sleepers.
"Arguably the best offensive and defensive lines in football." Does anybody want to try to make an argument against?
The Vikings forced Falcons to start seven of 11 drives inside the 20-yard line, six of them inside the 15, leading to 24-3 victory.
And they'll make opponents start deep in their own territory all season long. Why? Because the running game is great, and the defense is great. Teams are going to have a hell of a time getting to 20 points against the Minnesota defense this year.
They beat up on a bad Atlanta team, so temper the excitement a bit. But it was a nice showing. The defense was dominant, which it will have to be all season long.
Yep, the defense WILL have to be dominant all season long. Guess what? They will be. I'm not even a little bit worried about that.
We'll get more power rankings out here as they come out. Enjoy your evening, folks!