(Photo courtesy: www.gamedaygold.com)
A big win against Chicago and suddenly the Vikings (7-6) are somewhat hopeful about making the playoffs. The Purple are now in 9th place in the race for a post-season spot (including potential tie-breakers). Those are real numbers. Fake numbers? Power-rankings style? Got ’em right here.
For a glimpse, here’s how the various list-makers rank the Vikings heading into their Week 15 meeting at St. Louis:
CBS Sports has Minnesota at No. 17, up two places from last week. The eye’s big question: “Can Adrian Peterson run this team into the playoffs?”
The Bleacher Report has Minnesota at No. 16 — up two spots from Week 14. Their take: “…not sure if Christian Ponder is worthy of trust, but Adrian Peterson definitely is.”
Fox Sports has the Vikings at No. 15 this week, up five spots from Week 14. Author Brian Billick loves Adrian Peterson, but when it comes to Christian Ponder: “Every time he drops back you just assume he is going to make some type of mistake.”
SB Nation has the Purple down up three places at No. 14, with the focus squarely on AP, and his quest for 2,000 rushing yards. Their bottom line: “What about what he needs to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record? 169 yards per game.”
