The Minnesota Vikings were doing odd things in last week's NFL power rankings. Despite a blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football, they didn't go down much at all, which was likely due to the fact that it was, you know, the Packers. This past Sunday, though, they found themselves on the losing end of a game against the Oakland Raiders, and that one really hurt.
ESPN drops the Vikings two spots in their Week 12 NFL power rankings:
29. There is no way Adrian Peterson is going to play this week with a first-degree high-ankle sprain. (Clayton)
While Adrian Peterson's ankle sprain doesn't have much to do with this ranking in particular, missing him could hurt the Vikings in future rankings. At this point, though, No. 29 doesn't leave much room to fall down the rankings. Christian Ponder has made this offense better, but the issues extend far beyond just the quarterback position, previously occupied by Donovan McNabb. His benching wasn't going to signal a sudden turnaround, and it didn't.