The Minnesota Vikings have some pressing things on the agenda, especially regarding their star running back, Adrian Peterson. His status for the beginning of next season is up in the air, and the organization will have to deal with that on top of a busy offseason in which the team has one of the top selections in the 2012 NFL Draft. Their 2011 was filled with all kinds of issues, the least of which was not their quarterback position. Christian Ponder is the guy moving forward and that's a positive, though it didn't help the Vikings win in Week 17.
ESPN doesn't drop them in their weekly rankings:
30. Biggest free agent to retain is keeping the Vikings in Minnesota. (Clayton)
That is to say, they're not dropping them because there's only two spots below them, and they're occupied by the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings were really hoping that the team could string together some wins with Ponder at quarterback after benching Donovan McNabb, but it just didn't happen. As such, they're one of the bottom three teams in the league, at least according to most.