Minnesota Vikings Week 8 Power Rankings Roundup

Last Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium was the third victory in a row for your Minnesota Vikings, who moved their record to 5-2 and took firm control of the NFC North as we prepare to finish the first half of the season. As you’d expect, the team is still moving up in rankings across the internet, but how high can they climb?

Well, let’s find the answer to that question as we take our weekly spin around the internet for our Power Rankings Roundup.

SB Nation: #9 (Last week: #7)

No Vikings-centric commentary from SB Nation this week. Yes, I know they’re not traditional Power Rankings. Y’all tell me every week. They’re part of the Roundup. Deal.

MMQB, Sports Illustrated: #6 (Last week: #9)

No Vikings-centric commentary from MMQB this week.

Associated Press: #6-T (Last week: #6)

No Vikings-centric commentary from the Associated Press this week.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: #7 (Last week: #12)

Through Week 5 of his second season, 2016 first-round pick Laquon Treadwell had six catches. In his last two games, he has six catches. A couple three-catch games with Stefon Diggs out doesn’t mean Treadwell is becoming a star, but at least there’s positive movement that way.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: #8 (Last week: #7)

The Vikings aren't exactly flooring us with home runs or great catches, but they are manufacturing enough points with the way their defense is playing.

This week: at Browns, as they go for the latest London blowout.

Chris Simms, Bleacher Report: #5 (Last week: #8)

The Minnesota Vikings for real; I don't care who is at quarterback. Really, Case Keenum should be the guy moving forward. He's earned that. He has Minnesota playing with a little mojo on the offensive side of the ball. Has he made a few dumb mistakes? Sure, but he's a capable passer and a decent athlete.

The rejuvenated offense is complementing a defense that is special. Everson Griffen is in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, and the talent around him isn't too far behind.

Minnesota can win almost with defense alone. However, this year's version of the team doesn't have to.

When the Vikings can run the ball the way they did with Latavius Murray against the Ravens—and I'm not sure Murray is even 100 percent yet—they're tough to beat. It's time we start considering the Vikings one of the best teams in football.

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: #6 (Last week: #7)

The Vikings and Teddy Bridgewater are currently like Helen Hunt and Tom Hanks at the end of Castaway. #timely.

Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football: #11 (Last week: #13)

It sounds like Teddy Bridgewater will return in Week 10. That's a huge boon for the Vikings, who didn't really have a great chance to make a deep playoff run with Case Keenum. Bridgewater, if healthy, definitely changes that. If Bridgewater is even 90 percent of what he was, I'd consider slotting the Vikings as high as No. 4 in these power rankings. As of right now, however, I don't trust Keenum enough to put them in the top 10.

ESPN: #8 (Last week: #13)

72.0 percent. Just two weeks ago, Minnesota's chances of winning the division were down to 21 percent. With Aaron Rodgers out, the Vikings are the favorite to win the NFC North now. Five of their next six games are on the road, though, so they'll need to improve on their 11-15 away record under coach Mike Zimmer to keep those chances high.

USA Today: #8 (Last week: #14)

DE Everson Griffen deserves more love. He's sixth player to record a sack in each of his team's first seven games and has nine overall.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #8 (Last week: #8)

It's all about the defense for the Vikings, but it might be a unit good enough to carry them to a playoff berth. They are the class of the NFC North now.

Elliot Harrison, NFL.com: #7 (Last week: #9)

No defense is playing better than the Vikings' right now. Minnesota is allowing 17 points per game. Only the Steelers have scored more than 20 points against Mike Zimmer's better side of the ball this season, and that was Case Keenum's first start when the offense couldn't stay on the field. No opponent has even hit the 350-yard barrier against these guys. The Vikes dominated Baltimore so badly on Sunday that they made the Ravens' offense look like ... look like ... the Ravens' offense. Baltimore's total yardage: 208. Wow.

Well, here I thought that everyone would just automatically move the Vikings up after a third consecutive win, but they were actually dropped by a couple of our outlets, while a couple of them held them at the same spot as the previous week. However, the other eight did manage to bump them up, a couple of them pretty markedly. There was a six-spot jump from USA Today, as well as five spot leaps from ESPN and Yahoo! Sports.

Let’s take a look at this week’s chart, which may be embiggened if you should choose to do so.

That’s our Power Rankings Roundup for this week, ladies and gentlemen. Next week, we’re either going to see another slight rise in the rankings. . .or we’re going to see a pretty significant drop. If it’s the latter, it certainly will be deserved.