Belated Vikings Power Rankings Round-Up

See, I told you I'd get around to doing this week's Power Rankings round-up. It just took a bit longer. . .and it would have been done earlier, if the rain hadn't played havoc with the wireless internet down here in lodging. In any event, I thank you for your patience.

The theme this week is, obviously, the Vikings dropping after their loss to the Washington Redskins. However, the majority of places didn't drop our favorite football team very far, which I think is a bit surprising.

As always, we start with the SB Nation mothership, who dropped the Vikings three spots this week. That still leaves them in the Top 10, however, as they were #7 the previous week.

The Vikings' three-game winning streak is over. But they got RGIII'd so you can't blame them too much for that loss.

This is true, I suppose. Not a lot of teams on the remainder of the Vikings' schedule that play a lot of read-option on offense, which is a plus. As far as the NFC North, SB Nation has the Chicago Bears at #5, the Green Bay Packers at #7, and the Detroit Lions at #21. Minnesota's opponent this week, the Arizona Cardinals, check in at #15.

At SB Nation Minnesota, Eric also has the Vikings at #10 this week, but that only constitutes a two-spot drop for them, as he had the Vikings at #8 the week before.

Was Minnesota exposed as overrated or simply a victim of RGIII's greatness? Probably some of both. We'll know how much of each after their upcoming home game against Arizona.

Hmmmmm. . .starting to sense a bit of a theme developing with this week's rankings. Eric also has Chicago at #5 and Green Bay at #7, with Detroit checking in at #19. He gives the Cardinals a bit more respect, ranking them at #12.

Next we move to the big sports monster in Bristol, Connecticut, as ESPN has moved the Vikings down two spots in their rankings from #8 to #10.

Where was the defense that helped build that 4-1 record? They didn't bring it to Washington.

No. . .no, they certainly did not. But hopefully it will be back this week. It should be, in any event. ESPN has Chicago at #6, Green Bay at #8, and Detroit at #19, with Arizona coming in at #11.

Fox Sports is the first place I've encountered that has dropped the Vikings out of the top 10 in the rankings, moving them from #9 to #12, a three-spot drop.

The Vikings continue to play above expectations, even in a loss, but simply can't afford to have QB Christian Ponder drop back 54 times in a game. That isn't the right formula for the Vikings.

I don't think many teams are going with win with their quarterback dropping back to pass 54 times in a game, unless they plan on winning every game 52-49 or something. Fox Sports has Chicago at #4, Green Bay at #6, and Detroit at #17. The Cardinals come in one spot ahead of Detroit at #16.

Make it two places that have the Vikings outside of the top 10, as Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has Minnesota dropping three spots to #11 this week.

Was that a little dose of reality in Washington? Those turnovers will kill you.

Turnovers will kill just about any team. We'll see on Sunday if the Washington game was an exception to the rule. Prisco has Chicago at #3, Green Bay at #9, and Detroit at #22. He also has Arizona right behind the Vikings, coming in at #12 this week.

Make it three in a row outside of the top ten, as Yahoo! Sports has moved the Vikings down four spots to #12.

It's strange how kicking four field goals is a pretty reliable way to lose a game. Kicker Blair Walsh accounted for all of the Vikings points through three quarters with four field goals, all of which came from offensive drives that stalled in the red zone. The comeback attempt was nice, but much like the 49ers, this isn't a team that will make a living playing from behind.

Basically, no. The Vikings are kind of built to take an early lead and grind things out. Hopefully the red zone offense will improve because, hey, it can't get a whole lot worse than it looked against Washington. Yahoo! has Chicago at #5, Green Bay at #8, and Detroit at #21. They also don't give Arizona a whole lot of respect, pushing them down to #19 after their second straight loss.

Last, NFL.com keeps the Vikings in their Top Ten, but just barely, moving Minnesota down two spots to 10.

Just when you give a team a healthy boost, talk it up on NFL Network and predict big things in your picks column ... you get a loss in Washington. I didn't see Enron coming, either.

And what is the deal with airplane food? Seriously, I don't think one loss is anything to lose sleep over. Pretty sure no one else thinks that, either. NFL.com has Chicago at #5, Green Bay at #8, and Detroit at #16, while Arizona comes in at #13.

So there's the belated Power Rankings Round-Up for this week. Enjoy, everyone, and feel free to add more in the comments as always!