Minnesota Vikings Power Rankings Roundup: Week 8

When we did our last Power Rankings Roundup, the Minnesota Vikings sat atop the majority of the rankings that we use in our compilation. Of course, that was before they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday to fall from the ranks of the undefeated in the NFL. So, how is one loss going to affect them in terms of the rankings from pundits across the internet?

Well, let’s take a spin around the rankings and see if we can find out.

SB Nation: #2 (Last week: #1)

Even a 21-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles isn’t enough to sell your stock in the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, Sam Bradford threw an interception and fumbled four times on six sacks, and those are bad signs for the team after losing Matt Kalil and Andre Smith. But the Eagles are among the league’s best at getting to the quarterback and gave Ben Roethlisberger a rough day in Week 3.

Still, the Vikings had some flaws exposed, while the rest of the NFL is still looking for a weakness in the New England Patriots. Ho hum, another win by double digits. I think it’s safe to say that the Buffalo Bills won’t be able to shut out the Patriots next week for the second time in a month.

Elliot Harrison, NFL.com: #2 (Last week: #1)

The curse of the top spot continues. For the fourth time in the last five weeks, our No. 1 team fell. (Yes, Patriots fans, it happened to your team, too.) This Maddenesque phenomenon might've occurred last week had the Vikings not been on a bye. The bottom line in Philadelphia comes down to age-old football logic: turn the football over four times, and it doesn't matter how good your team is. Sam Bradford gave his former squad the last laugh ... in the form of three giveaways. Next up: at Chicago.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: #4 (Last week: #3)

While the offensive line looked really bad – and that was the biggest reason Sam Bradford looked bad – there’s no reason to believe the Vikings were exposed. They’re still one of the NFL’s best teams. They just aren’t going 16-0. No big surprise.

Cameron DaSilva, Fox Sports: #5 (Last week: #1)

The Vikings were seemingly exposed against the Eagles on Sunday as their offensive line was pushed around, causing Sam Bradford and his supporting cast to sputter. Is this a formula for beating Minnesota? It might be, but they’ll get it back on track in the coming weeks. A trade for an offensive lineman could be on the horizon.

USA Today: #5 (Last week: #2)

It's a treat to watch that defense. But will shabby O-line and absence of their top running back scuttle any Super Bowl aspirations?

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #3 (Last week: #2)

They lost for the first time at Philly, and that offensive line was awful. That has to be better or the defense could go to waste.

ESPN: #5 (Last week: #2)

What a difference a week makes. The Vikings' unbeaten season ended at Philadelphia, and QB Sam Bradford's three turnovers sort of reminded us of, well, the old Sam Bradford. Can the Vikings get back on track Monday night against the 1-6 Bears?

Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football: #2 (Last week: #1)

I'm not going to bump the Vikings out of my top two. I have too much faith in their defense and coaching staff, so I believe they'll recover and begin a new winning streak. That said, the Vikings should seriously consider trading for Joe Thomas. The sickly looking man on NBC's pre-game show noted that Thomas could be available for a second-round pick. Minnesota would surrender that in a heartbeat in an ideal world. Thomas turns 32 in December, but he's still one of the top left tackles in the NFL, and he should be able to hold that distinction for three or four more years. The Vikings' greatest problem right now is at tackle, so Thomas' presence would definitely remedy that. Unfortunately, I wrote "ideal world" because I'm not sure the front office will be able to find the cap space for him.

Chris Simms, Bleacher Report: #2 (Last week: #2)

The Minnesota Vikings are the NFC's Denver Broncos.

Both teams use a short passing game. Both teams stubbornly pound the football. And both teams require a game-changing defensive/special teams play to remain in a game sometimes.

Sam Bradford couldn't get scoring help from his defense. His offensive line didn't help either. Jake Long and T.J. Clemmings—his two starting tackles—made him jittery all night. They also couldn't pace the way for Jerick McKinnon and Co. yet again.

I've never drastically downgraded Denver for playing this style. How could I with the Vikings? They're still a top-tier team in my book.

Looking ahead: Chicago's defense has sneaky good pass-rushers. That offensive line should be worried.

Chris Burke, SI.com: #3 (Last week: #1)

Yes, the offensive line is a mess and Sam Bradford played Sunday like his internal monologue consisted entirely of him just silently screaming. But we also shouldn’t overlook the fact that Minnesota is 0–1 since its head coach scattered a bunch of stuffed animals throughout the facility that someone else in the locker room later slaughtered. Even The Walking Dead producers suggest dialing it back a bit, Vikings.

So, depending on who you ask, the Vikings have been exposed. . .or they haven’t been. The offensive line seems to be what everyone is pinning the loss on, and with good reason. They were pretty awful, but at this point nobody seems to be sure of what can be done to fix it. But the Vikings aren’t a “bad” football team all of a sudden, as is evidenced by the purple still being ranked in the Top 5 everywhere.

Here is this week’s chart, showing the slight downward trend for this week’s rankings. As always, you may click to embiggen.

That’s the Power Rankings Roundup for this week, folks. Hopefully we can start seeing an upward trend again next week after the Vikings take on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.