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Vikings climb NFL rankings after win over 49ers
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Vikings climb NFL rankings after win over 49ers

The Vikings made a huge impression after beating the reigning NFC champion 49ers in Week 2. With Sam Darnold at quarterback, some national pundits are still skeptical that Minnesota is a legitimate playoff contender, but some are.

We’ve compiled a number of power rankings from various media sources and compiled them into one comprehensive list. Let’s take a look at where the Vikings and their NFC North foes stand…

The Athletic’s Josh Kendall seems to believe Darnold and the Vikings. He was the highest in their eyes after their Week 1 win over the Giants, but he thinks they’ve gone a step further after beating the 49ers.

Pete Prisco and CBS Sports were extremely impressed with what they saw on Sunday. After moving up 13 spots in their rankings, no national media outlet has a higher ranking on the Vikings than CBS Sports.

“While it’s still early, the Vikings have a legitimate top-10 passing offense and a defense that has allowed fewer points than only the Steelers, who played the Denver Broncos, and the Chargers, who played both the Raiders and Panthers,” SI’s Connor Orr wrote. “Brian Flores is clawing his way back into a head coaching chair with some memorable performances against great offensive minds so far.”

NFL.com’s Eric Edholm bumped the Vikings up five spots, but he still doesn’t seem to believe they’re a legitimate playoff team. He called Sunday a “coaching gem” from Brian Flores, but ranked them behind teams like the Steelers and Jets.

Frank Schwab gave the Vikings credit, saying, “There aren’t many better coaches in the NFL” and said Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores are the biggest reasons for their 2-0 start.

ESPN only had the Vikings moving up one spot after their Week 1 win, but they’ve now moved up 11 spots to No. 11. Jalen Nailor’s Week 2 performance was seen as the team’s “key reserve/role player.”

Mike Florio had the Vikings lowest-ranked after their Week 1 win, but he moved them up 13 spots in his rankings to No. 11. He called them the “worst team in the division on paper,” but they sit all alone in first place.

Here’s where the rest of the NFC North falls in the above power rankings. We’ve averaged the rankings into a single number for clarity. It wasn’t a great week for the Lions and Bears, who both had disappointing performances and dropped in the rankings. As for the Packers, they proved they can succeed, as Jordan Love is coming off an injury and dramatically improved his ranking.

Detroit Lions

Average rating: #5.57 (down from 3.14)
Highest ranking: No. 3 (SI)
Lowest Rank: #11 (CBS Sports)

Green Bay Packers

Average Rank: #11.71 (up from 14.14)
Highest ranking: No. 5 (SI)
Lowest rating: No. 19 (Yahoo!)

Chicago Bears

Average Rank: #21 (up from 15.71)
Highest Rank: #16 (CBS Sports)
Lowest rating: No. 26 (ESPN)