SB Nation Minnesota - Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: Minnesota Vikings Remain At Bottom Of Rankingshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48959/mn-fave.png2011-09-21T11:01:36-05:00http://minnesota.sbnation.com/rss/stream/22041502011-09-21T11:01:36-05:002011-09-21T11:01:36-05:00Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: Fox Sports Moves Vikings Down Four
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pfJtY_zyT9RwaILv42EHOQj9BN0=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828125/large_minnesota.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Another set of Power Rankings, and another drop for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a>. This week over at Fox Sports, they've moved the Vikings down in their <a target="_blank" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/powerRankings">Week 3 NFL Power Rankings</a>,as you would expect them to do, but they've moved Minnesota down farther than some of the other places we've looked at so far.</p>
<p>Fox Sports had Minnesota sitting at number 24 going into Week 2, and now that we're heading into Week 3, they've moved the Vikings down four spots to number 28. Their commentary paints a pretty gloomy picture for Minnesota's favorite football team.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you can't hold a 17-point lead at home in the dome, I'm not sure you can anywhere. Obviously not San Diego. <span>Donovan McNabb</span>'s numbers were better but I don't think he actually was.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yes, this past Sunday's collapse is pretty inexcusable. Even in a league as unpredictable as the NFL and against a team as good as Tampa Bay, a 17-point lead at halftime should be good enough to get a team a victory. Hopefully the proper adjustments can be made and the Vikings can improve on this disappointment.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-vikings/2011/9/21/2440152/week-3-nfl-power-rankings-fox-sports-minnesota-vikingsChristopher Gates2011-09-21T10:30:44-05:002011-09-21T10:30:44-05:00Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: CBS Sports Moves Vikings Down Two Spots
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pfJtY_zyT9RwaILv42EHOQj9BN0=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828125/large_minnesota.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>We move on to the next spot in our NFL Power Rankings tour, heading over to see what Pete Prisco at CBS Sports has to say. In his <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/powerrankings">NFL Power Rankings for Week 3</a>, Prisco does something that. . .makes sense?</p>
<p>My guess is that he was sick this week and had an intern actually do the Power Rankings. . .and if you're familiar with Prisco's ranking "system," you'll realize that's as feasible an explanation as anything else.</p>
<p>The commentary provided by <strike>Prisco</strike> the intern isn't much.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Blowing a 17-point lead at home to fall to 0-2 speaks volumes about where they are as a team.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'm not sure why this passes as a feasible explanation. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> clearly have talent, as is evidenced by the first halves they've played against both San Diego and Tampa Bay. . .but nobody can really seem to pinpoint exactly where the issues come after halftime. It might be the scheme, it might be conditioning, it might be Leslie Frazier's halftime adjustments (or the lack thereof). . .but I don't think two early losses to two very good football teams "speaks volumes" about anything at this point.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-vikings/2011/9/21/2440116/week-3-nfl-power-rankings-cbs-sports-minnesota-vikingsChristopher Gates2011-09-21T10:23:28-05:002011-09-21T10:23:28-05:00Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: ESPN Downgrades The Vikings
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pfJtY_zyT9RwaILv42EHOQj9BN0=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828125/large_minnesota.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Moving on to those folks from the big network in Bristol, Connecticut, we take a look at the <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings">Week Three NFL Power Rankings</a>, and see that ESPN has also decided to downgrade your <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a>. After having them at number 24 last week, their most recent loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> has been enough to move the Vikings down two notches to number 26 in this week's rankings.</p>
<p>In their commentary, ESPN states the obvious.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Blowing a 17-0 lead in the second half is not a good way to start your home schedule.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Gee, really? A loss after being ahead by 17 points at home is considered a negative now, is it?</p>
<p>Well, that's why they're the worldwide leader, after all.</p>
<p>Yes, the Vikings have a tough test this weekend when the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Detroit Lions</a> come to town, but as we've all seen in the NFL, stranger things have happened. Hopefully the Vikings can get their stuff together and figure out where the bad second halves are coming from for this one.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-vikings/2011/9/21/2440140/week-3-nfl-power-rankings-espn-downgrades-the-vikingsChristopher Gates2011-09-21T10:06:33-05:002011-09-21T10:06:33-05:00Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: SB Nation Moves Vikings Up (Because They Pretty Much Had To)
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F7AOVK7R7QiVPmYmsXRtCnejTso=/0x0:1000x667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/4101054/125591273.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For the best coverage of Minnesota Vikings' football on the internet, be sure to check out <a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com" target="new">The Daily Norseman</a>.</p> <p>In last week's NFL Power Rankings, the folks at the SB Nation mothership placed the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> as the second-worst team in the National Football League, despite a very hard-fought loss on the road in San Diego against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/san-diego-chargers">Chargers</a>. Now, in their <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2011/9/20/2437426/nfl-power-rankings-week-3-packers-patriots-jets">Week 3 Power Rankings</a>, though the Vikings loss another tough game, they really couldn't move the Vikings down to #32. . .not with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com/">Kansas City Chiefs</a> hanging around. . .so they decided to move the Vikings up one spot to number 30 instead.</p>
<p>What did they say about the Vikings this week?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>So the <a href="../../nfl/players/1348/donovan-mcnabb" class="sbn-auto-link">Donovan McNabb</a> in Minnesota story isn't looking so great right now. This team needs to be better with a player like AP there.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To be fair, I don't think we can put Sunday's loss at the feet of <span>Donovan McNabb</span>. . .he played significantly better than he did in the opener, that's for sure. But yes, Adrian Peterson's talents are being wasted thus far, which is never a good thing to see. Hopefully this team can start getting it into gear, although they face a tough test this Sunday when the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Detroit Lions</a> come to town.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-vikings/2011/9/21/2440083/nfl-power-rankings-week-3-2011-minnesota-vikings-sb-nationChristopher Gates