NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Minnesota Vikings are 4-0 after a 15-10 win over the Miami Dolphins that was decided entirely by Will Reichard’s right leg. That makes them one of just three undefeated teams left in the NFL, along with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
They’re also 2-0 in the NFC North and sit a game clear of the Chicago Bears (3-1) for first place, with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers both stuck at 2-2.
The scoreboard says it’s been closer than the record. Minnesota has outscored opponents 86-51, and that +35 point differential is the smallest of the three unbeaten teams. The other two undefeated teams, the 49ers and Chiefs, are +58 and +41, respectively.
Minnesota Vikings Week 5 Power Rankings Roundup
So where does all that ugly winning leave the MN Vikings when it comes to the Week 5 NFL power rankings? Pretty much right where they were in Week 4. National outlets love Brian Flores’ defense, Reichard’s perfect start and everything Myles Price brings to the return game.
On the other side of the coin, nobody is buying Kevin O’Connell’s 2026 offense, despite Kyler Murray taking a step forward in the second half against Miami. That’s not a surprise because one decent half isn’t going to shift public perception or statistical analysis.
Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard kicks a field goal as punter Johnny Hekker holds against the Miami Dolphins at U.S. Bank Stadium
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Here’s our Week 5 NFL Power Rankings roundup, which includes five featured rankings immediately below, Under those, you will find a table with the individual rank for all 10 media outlets built into this week’s Vikings’ consensus (average) power rank.
Kevin Seifert points out that the Vikings have just one offensive touchdown since Week 1, which would normally sink a season. Instead, the Vikings keep winning thanks to a defense and special teams that refuse to let them lose.
Seifert is a seasoned NFL and Vikings reporter. He covered the team for the Star Tribune for eight years in the early 2000s, before ESPN hired him in 2008 to cover the NFC North. After years as a national NFL writer, Seifert moved back to the Vikings beat for ESPN in 2022, where he’s been ever since.
9. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Previous ranking: 9
The Vikings are 2-0 in the NFC North, even though their offense has been one of the NFL’s worst. The explanation is clear: Minnesota’s defense ranks No. 1 in expected points added, and its special teams unit ranks No. 2. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has overwhelmed opponents with a 68% blitz rate, kicker Will Reichard has made all 12 field goal attempts and returner Myles Price is averaging 30.2 yards per kickoff return and 20.1 yards per punt return. The offense has scored only one touchdown since Week 1, but those other contributions have been enough for the Vikings to keep winning. — Kevin Seifert
The Athletic‘s Chad Graff and Josh Kendall left the Vikings at No. 7 for the second straight week. They aren’t knocking the defense (who would?). What they can’t figure out is how a 4-0 team is allergic to the endzone.
Both writers come at this from the beat side, but neither covers the Vikings. Kendall covers the Falcons, after 20 years on working SEC football. Graff covers the Patriots now. However, he spent five seasons on the Vikings beat (2017-2021), and won a PFWA Bob Oates Award, right before leaving for New England for the 2022 NFL season.
7. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Previous ranking: 7
What is going on with this offense? The Vikings are 4-0 despite failing to score an offensive touchdown in two of their games. Brian Flores is flexing his defensive chops. But Kevin O’Connell is supposed to be the complementary offensive whiz, and instead this offense looks disjointed even with Kyler Murray healthy again. — Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
Nate Davis actually dropped the Vikings two spots after the win, from seventh to ninth. At least he gave Reichard his due. The third-year kicker hasn’t missed a field goal all season, and on Sunday he went 5-for-5 with a long of 50.
Davis has been at USA Today Sports since 2000. He’s spent most of that time covering the NFL, including multiple Super Bowls. Unlike the other sites listed so far, Davis is a national columnist — not a Vikings beat writer.
His read on the Vikings situation, like the others below, are from a broader, league-wide perspective. Right now, that league-wide read cares more about the offense than the record.
9. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Previous ranking: 7
As great as their swarming defense has been, let’s not lose sight of All-Pro K Will Reichard. His league-high 42 points scored are nearly half of the Vikes’ total (86). Reichard has provided all of the scoring in two of Minnesota’s four wins. — Nate Davis
Matt Johnson bumped the Vikings up a spot in the Sportsnaut’s updated NFL power rankings, from eighth to seventh. While he believes the Vikings have a real shot at 5-0 into the bye, he too isn’t convinced that Minnesota’s offense can hold up its end of the bargain, going forward. As you may have already noticed, that’s a recurring theme this week.
Johnson is Sportsnaut’s senior editor for their NFL and college football coverage. He’s been with the site since 2018. Matt also procures Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings, and leads its fantasy football coverage.
7. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Previous ranking: 8
We understand the Minnesota Vikings are on the very shortlist of undefeated NFL teams after Week 4. However, Sunday raised more worries about whether this offense with Kyler Murray is good enough for this hot start to be maintained. Minnesota’s defense is certainly good enough to win at New Orleans next week, and a 5-0 record heading into the Week 6 bye would be an absurd start considering what the preseason expectations were. — Matt Johnson
Mike Florio kept it short, per usual, but did move the Vikings up one spot to No. 8. His one-liner is in reference to Kyler Murray’s threat to run… or lack thereof.
Florio created PFT, which partnered with NBC Sports in 2009. He’s now in his 17th season as an insider on NBC’s Football Night in America.
8. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Previous ranking: 9
Kyler Murray is no longer the Road Runner. — Mike Florio
Minnesota Vikings Week 5 power rankings roundup table
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Outlet Wk 5Rank Prev.Rank
ESPN 9 9
CBS Sports 3 4
USA Today 9 7
Sportsnaut 7 8
ProFootballTalk 8 9
The Athletic 7 7
Sports Illustrated 13 11
Bleacher Report 6 6
Fox Sports 10 12
Sporting News 6 5
Related: Vikings Lose O-Line Starter for Season; Another Enters Concussion Protocol
Add it up and the Vikings average a 7.8 cumulative ranking across the 10 outlets in this table, the exact same average they had going into Week 4. Four outlets moved them up, three held them in place and three dropped them, so being undefeated still isn’t buying much love nationally.
The spread is wide, too. The 10 ranks in the table run from third at CBS Sports to 13th at Sports Illustrated, with a median of 7.5. Nine of the 10 outlets have Minnesota in their top 10, but CBS is the only one with the Vikings in its top five.
Breaking down the MN Vikings’ Week 4 cumulative power ranking
While the Vikings defense has allowed a league-low 51 points and rank fifth in yards allowed (289.3 per game), KOC’s offense ranks 31st in the NFL at 262.8 yards per game.
However, O’Connell and his offense deserves credit for Minnesota’s plus-5 turnover margin (T-2nd in NFL), another huge reason for their success in the win/loss column through four games.
The scoring explains a lot of that. The Vikings rank 18th in the NFL in scoring at 21.5 points per game, while the 49ers (30.5) and Chiefs (29.5) are both in the top six. Again, until the offense can add some production to the equation, it’s unlikely we see the MN Vikings cumulative rank move much higher.
The Vikings get their next shot in Sunday’s game in New Orleans. Could the Saints defense — which just gave up 45 points to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night — be the elixer Minnesota’s offense needs to cure their anemia?