Vikings Get Crushed by Utterly Ugly Power Ranking

NFL.com: Vikings Rank 28th

Fans opened the batch of power rankings this week and scrolled, scrolled, and kept scrolling to the fifth-worst spot on the list.

Eric Edholm defended the placement:

After the surprise of the Caleb Banks pick wore off, the Vikings settled into a little groove with a few of their selections. Among the value picks I liked: LB Jake Golday, OT Caleb Tiernan, S Jakobe Thomas and CB Charles Demmings. Even a fullback in Round 5 didn’t offend me; if anything, it made me nostalgic.

I certainly understand Vikings fans could feel differently about it, given their personal investment in the team, but if Max Bredeson becomes the next C.J. Ham, it’s a good pick. This was not a year where fifth-round picks needed to be treated like military codes. Most of the same questions about Minnesota that existed last week still remain, although trading Jonathan Greenard both adds a worry and clears up cap space.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Vikes make a veteran addition or two in the coming months. They could use a center, a safety and maybe another receiver.

That right there is motivation for the Vikings to beat the odds.

… with the NFL’s 3rd-Best Defense?

It’s difficult to stomach a ranking this horrid because the league’s fifth-worst football team would likely have to feature a bad offense and a bad defense, or, in this case, a bad offense and a middling defense.

That’s just not the case in Minnesota, not with Brian Flores in charge. Since Flores arrived in the Twin Cities three years ago, the Vikings’ defense ranks second in the NFL per DVOA and EPA/Play and even checked in at No. 3 last year behind the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks.

If one assumes that Flores’s defense retains its efficient ways — or even falls to No. 8, for example — teams with Top 10 defenses don’t usually scrape the bottom of the barrel in wins and losses.

In that regard, it seems Edholm’s power ranking fundamentally disregards Flores’s employment in Minnesota.

… and Kyler Murray?

Furthermore, Minnesota now has Murray in the saddle as the QB1, and some have mistakenly treated him like a poor quarterback who needs O’Connell’s Midas touch.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray surveys the field after a win over Atlanta, standing near midfield at State Farm Stadium on Nov. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. Murray’s calm demeanor reflects control and confidence following the result, offering a clear look at his presence moments after the final whistle. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports.

Murray isn’t a Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones — down on his luck with poor past performance and teetering on a career-long bust outcome. Murray has played in 74% of his team’s games in his career, a figure that would have approached 80% had the Cardinals not eased his workload late in 2025. He boasts two Pro Bowl selections, 4.38 speed (recorded during his 2019 draft year), a deep ball capable of traveling 70 yards, and accuracy ranked among the top five ever.

At age 28, he maintains a career EPA+CPOE of 0.090, surpassing figures from Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, Daniel Jones, and C.J. Stroud. This efficiency aligns with Justin Herbert’s performance in 2025. When playing a full 17-game season, Murray typically averages:

• 3,997 Passing Yards
• 30 Total Touchdowns
• 11 Interceptions
• 67.1% Completion Rate
• 623 Rushing Yards

That level of production is comparable to Lamar Jackson’s. Murray’s remarkable speed is evident on the field; his 2019 40-yard dash time alone would instantly make him the fastest QB in Vikings history, even surpassing those of current Vikings wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Edholm’s pecking order for the Vikings suggests a) the Flores defense will fall off b) Murray will stink or get hurt.

Only Thing Left Is to Prove Them Wrong

Of course, this is an April power ranking, 4.5 months before the start of the regular season. Nobody will care about Edholm’s ranking next autumn and winter, especially if the Vikings win several games and reach the postseason. Power rankings are merely a thermometer of public opinion and carry no mandate for anything.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell walks the sideline before kickoff against Dallas, taking in the scene at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. O’Connell’s pregame routine unfolds as players warm up around him, capturing a composed moment ahead of another high-profile matchup. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images.

Therefore, the Vikings have a simple mission in 2026: prove that an NFL 28th-place ranking is silly. And based on the fact that they finished 9-8 last year with the league’s fifth-worst quarterback play per Dropback EPA, the sky is the limit with Murray in the house.

Power rankings be damned.