With six weeks of the 2024 NFL regular season over, the pretenders and contenders are starting to take shape, and the Minnesota Vikings have made their mark known.
We polled the Pro Football Network staff to generate the latest version of our consensus Week 7 NFL Power Rankings. Scroll down for our take on the Vikings, along with where teams rank above and behind them.
To view the complete list, head to our NFL Week 7 Power Rankings article, where we rank all 32 teams from best to worst.
Where Do the Minnesota Vikings Rank in Our Week 7 NFL Power Rankings?
3) Minnesota Vikings (5-0, Last Week: 3)
The Vikings went into their Week 6 bye with four straight wins over teams that entered 2024 with playoff hopes, and while this team feels a lot like the 2022 version that dominated in close games (11-0 in one-score games), some underlying metrics suggest this team could be a real threat for the long haul.
Kevin O’Connell has unlocked a version of Sam Darnold that we’ve yet to see, and with this aggressive defense leading the league in EPA, the offensive production doesn’t need to be elite for this team to compete at a high level.
After the Lions this week, Minnesota plays four straight, and they will have a great chance to win (Rams-Colts-Jaguars-Titans). Thanks to the red-hot start, if this team can simply win the games they are “supposed” to, the NFC North could be looking at three playoff participants.
Teams Above the Vikings in PFN’s Power Rankings
Looking for all 32 teams? Check out our full NFL Week 7 Power Rankings article, where you can get analysis on every team.
1) Kansas City Chiefs (5-0; Last Week: 1)
There is no change at the top of the board with the two-time reigning NFL champions on bye. They are a perfect 5-0 for the first time since Patrick Mahomes’ first season as a full-time starter (2018) despite their second-worst point differential through five games over that stretch (+33).
They’ve outscored opponents 27-6 over the final 12 minutes of the regular season, a tightrope for most teams, but this team simply refuses to blink late in games. They come out of their bye with a pair of road games (San Francisco and Las Vegas) – we saw them win on the road last postseason, but that was in a year with a Week 10 bye.
This team will be playing each of the next 12 weeks and might be uniquely motivated to chase the AFC’s top seed despite what they accomplished a season ago.
2) Detroit Lions (4-1, Last Week: 2)
The Lions impressed with a run to the NFC title game last season, and their lone loss this year was to Tampa Bay. In that game, they had two drives get inside the Bucs’ 30-yard line, with an opportunity for the go-ahead score.
Detroit entered this season as the favorite in the NFC North and deserves to be considered as much, even with the Vikings’ undefeated start. We know this offense’s potential, especially with the continued breakout of Jameson Williams. With them ranking among the best on third down, the ceiling is the roof for this team.
That is, as long as Aidan Hutchinson is on the field. The NFL sack leader was injured during the win over the Cowboys, and a significant missed time could have altered the hierarchy of the NFC.
We are counting on the Lions to flex their muscles in Minnesota this weekend.
Teams Below the Vikings in PFN’s Power Rankings
4) Baltimore Ravens (4-2, Last Week: 4)
The Ravens stumbled out of the gate, but with four straight wins, they deserve to be on the short list of Super Bowl favorites. The pass funnel defense is a major concern, especially with the offensive-minded Buccaneers up next on Monday night.
This is a team positioned to repeat its regular-season success from last season, but its postseason fate won’t be any different from years past if it can’t iron out the secondary.
5) Houston Texans (5-1, Last Week: 5)
The Texans scored touchdowns on their first two drives in New England and never looked back. They’ve taken care of business throughout a light early season schedule, but the sledding gets a little more difficult in Lambeau this weekend.
The absence of Nico Collins was felt, even in a game in which the Texans scored 41 points (C.J. Stroud averaged just 6.2 yards per pass), but if this offensive line is going to open up the holes that they did against the Patriots, they should be able to produce at an above average rate while they wait for their alpha receiver to return.
If the defense can continue to be opportunistic, this is a team that can very much play late into January.
6) San Francisco 49ers (3-3, Last Week: 7)
Things got a little touch-and-go on Thursday night in Seattle, but the 49ers ultimately survived, helping support the confidence with which we’ve been ranking them.
The divisional win was a step in the right direction, but this team can’t smell the roses as they host the Chiefs and Cowboys over the next two weeks.
This remains a highly efficient team that excels at holding onto the ball, a style of play that we saw work for Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers of yesteryear. That style of play makes them a threat not only to trend up in the coming weeks but also to represent the NFC if they are healthy for the stretch run.
It sounds as if Week 10 is the target date for Christian McCaffrey, which gives this offense the potential to rank among the best in the game as we progress through December and into January (Weeks 15-18: Rams-Dolphins-Lions-Cardinals). We saw the 49ers use that formula last season (six straight wins following their Week 9 bye), and history could well repeat itself.