The calendar says August, training camp is in full swing and the Minnesota Vikings open their preseason Sunday night in the NFL’s Hall of Fame game against Pittsburgh.
But figuring out exactly what to expect from them heading into the season has been a little tougher to do.
There are reasons for optimism – Teddy Bridgewater’s development; Adrian Peterson’s return; and the free-agent acquisition of wide receiver Mike Wallace.
There are also reasons for concern – the team’s run defense, which ranked 25th last season; and a very tough schedule.
So it shouldn’t be a big surprise that preseason NFL Power Rankings have the Vikings sprinkled all over the place. The latest power rankings released by The Associated Press Pro32 on Tuesday have ranked the Vikings right in the middle at 16th.
The rankings have the Vikings ranked as the eighth-best team in the NFC, and as the No. 3 team in the NFC North.
For what it's worth, AP first NFL power rankings: 49ers 24th & Raiders 27th..top of the poll has Green Bay, Seattle, New England 1-2-3..
— Jim Crandell (@JimCrandell) August 4, 2015
Detroit was ranked at 12th, while Chicago came in a distant fourth at 26th.
That’s just one opinion, though. The Vikings are all over the board in power rankings, depending on who you want to listen to.
Last week, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco ranked the Vikings 13th and highlighted Minnesota as a team that could make a playoff run.
“The Vikings have a ton of young talent and a good coach in Mike Zimmer. And they have Adrian Peterson back. It’s either this year or next year for them to make a big playoff push, depending on the growth of the young players.”
Back in June, Monday Morning Quarterback’s Peter King ranked the Vikings at No. 6 – higher than most others.
Minnesota has five preseason games this year, before they open the regular season Sept. 14 at San Francisco.
