The Minnesota Vikings sorely needed to come out of their game against the Oakland Raiders with a win and some positivity, but Christian Ponder couldn't lead the offense to the win. The rookie threw more interceptions than he did touchdowns for his second straight game and now he'll likely be without running back Adrian Peterson for a week, or perhaps longer, with a high ankle sprain. They're not faring well in the weekly power rankings.
CBS Sports drops the Vikings four spots in their Week 12 NFL power rankings:
28. Christian Ponder had a rough go of it against the Raiders, but that happens to rookies. Without Adrian Peterson, things will get tougher.
CBS Sports had the Vikings higher than most did last week, but at 28, there's only four teams with lower rankings, so there's certainly not good company. Their upcoming schedule includes games against Atlanta, Detroit, New Orleans and Chicago ... it's not going to get any easier from here on out.