Week 10 NFL Power Rankings: NFC North Maintains With Bye Weeks On ESPN, CBS Sports, Others

The Minnesota Vikings are trending upward, though not everyone is necessarily thinking playoffs. The name of the game right now is progress and a good look to the future in rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. They're either going up or generally maintaining in Week 10 NFL power rankings, but how is the rest of the division looking?

Green Bay Packers

Well, they're at the very top - and that's not likely to change. ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS Sports and SB Nation all have Green Bay at the top, and all of the other major publications should as well. They did risk losing to the San Diego Chargers this past week, but came out with the win thanks to a strong offense, as usual.

Detroit Lions

The Lions are moving up a little, despite coming off a bye week. Most power rankings have them inside the top ten, which is probably where they belong. FOX Sports has them the lowest, outside the top ten at No. 11, while SB Nation and CBS Sports have the Lions at No. 6, just outside the top five.

Chicago Bears

CBS Sports have the Bears the lowest at No. 14 in their Week 10 rankings, while ESPN moved them into the top ten at No. 9. They're in the playoff race at this point, especially after beating the Philadelphia Eagles. Chicago is looking strong and in the playoff hunt, which is reflected by their spot on the rankings.

FOX Sports Rankings| CBS Sports Rankings | ESPN Rankings | SB Nation Rankings

Week 10 NFL Power Rankings: FOX Sports Holds Vikings At No. 23

Though some outlets have been dropping the Minnesota Vikings following their bye week in their Week 10 NFL power rankings, others are holding them in place ... as they should. Minnesota is coming off a big win over the Carolina Panthers before the bye week and boasts an offense that looks so much stronger than it did at the beginning of the season with Christian Ponder under center.

FOX Sports' Brian Billick holds the Vikings in place in his Week 10 power rankings:

23. See Carolina notes with the caveat that Vikings fans are probably not as willing to be patient with the development of their own rookie passer Christian Ponder.    

That's probably not necessarily true. Vikings fans are getting behind Ponder's development and the team has already lost six games, it's not like they've got their eyes set on the Super Bowl this year. Either way, the No. 23 ranking is apt at this point of the season.

Week 10 NFL Power Rankings: CBS Sports Holds Vikings At 25

While some Week 10 NFL power rankings have elected to drop the Minnesota Vikings as many as two spots while coming off of a bye week, others are holding them in their place, as they probably should be. The team was trending upward following a win over the Carolina Panthers and a quarterback switch from Donovan McNabb to Christian Ponder, and moving them down just seems ... weird, at this point.

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco holds them in his Week 10 power rankings:

25. Rookie Christian Ponder gets another crack at the Packers. He probably can't match Aaron Rodgers throw for throw, so the Vikings defense has to play big.    

Exactly how it should be - hold them where they are and talk about the tough test they have ahead. The Vikings shouldn't be preemptively moved down because they've got a matchup against the Packers ahead. Especially because Minnesota almost beat Green Bay earlier this season - in Ponder's first NFL start.

Week 10 NFL Power Rankings: ESPN Drops Vikings After Bye Week

It's always kind of odd when a team drops in the weekly power rankings coming off of a bye week. Actually, the weird part is when the explanation talks as though said team did something wrong during their bye week to make them drop, instead of offering up the fact that another team played well and simply had to pass them. ESPN has dropped the Minnesota Vikings a spot, and here's their explanation:

24. The Vikings' record on the field doesn't matter. Getting a new stadium does. (Clayton)    

This is something Clayton has always done: he talks about things that aren't at all related to on the field and shouldn't have any bearing on where a team stands in the power rankings. In other words, it's a weak explanation instead of simply saying that the Vikings shouldn't have been at No. 23 in the first place or that another team needed to rise above them.

At the very least, the Vikings have looked much better with Christian Ponder starting and it's hard to imagine they're not a more dangerous team as Ponder gets more and more confident.

Week 10 NFL Power Rankings: Vikings Fall Two Spots During Bye Week

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