NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Dobbs, Vikings Crash Back to Earth

The Passtronaut has crash-landed back on Earth.

Josh Dobbs' impressive play in difficult circumstances was an amazing story for a couple weeks, and perhaps he'll bounce back down the stretch. But Monday night was rough. Facing a bad Bears team at home, Dobbs threw four interceptions as the Vikings lost 12-10 on a late Cairo Santos field goal.

It was a brutal night for just about everybody associated with Minnesota's offense, from Kevin O'Connell to the offensive line to Jordan Addison. But even though it wasn't just Dobbs, he was bad enough that the Vikings are considering all of their options at quarterback as they head into the bye week.

The good news? Outside of allowing a big play to D.J. Moore on the final series, the Vikings' defense was great once again. Danielle Hunter and Josh Metellus were outstanding. Typically, when you don't allow a single touchdown, you win the game; the Vikings are now 54-4 all-time in games where their opponent doesn't get into the end zone.

At 6-6, the Vikings can still make the playoffs, but they have to play a lot better on offense and avoid turning the ball over like they have (seven times in the last two games).

Let's take a look at this week's power rankings to see how far the Vikings fall.

Conor Orr, SI.com: No. 14 (Up 1 spot)

A tough loss for the Vikings, though one of the league’s surprise teams couldn’t stay hot forever. Four Josh Dobbs interceptions ended up being the dagger, even though Dobbs still drove the Vikings down the field for a potential game-winning touchdown drive. In true Vikings fashion, every loss is a one-score loss.

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: No. 18 (Down 4 spots)

Despite Josh Dobbs throwing four interceptions and despite losing to the Chicago Bears, the Vikings are still in the playoffs as the No. 7 seed for the moment. The problem is they still have to play the Lions twice. The Dobbs story was fun for a while, but the Vikings should have started working on a new deal for Kirk Cousins at some point in the second half Monday night.

Eric Edholm, NFL.com: No. 16 (Down 2 spots)

For three and a half quarters on Monday night, Josh Dobbs almost undid all the goodwill he'd earned since arriving in Minnesota. It wasn't all his fault, but Dobbs made some horrendous decisions in key moments. The first pick never had a chance. The second went off Jordan Addison's hands but could have been thrown better. The third hit K.J. Osborn's hands — and it came on fourth down, so no harm, no foul. The fourth one, Dobbs needed to eat it. It was a screen, and the Bears had it read. These were the kinds of plays Dobbs started making more often in his more recent starts in Arizona. There was some magic early in the desert, but it petered out. Is that playing out all over again in Minneapolis? Despite Minnesota finally putting together a touchdown drive to take the lead in the fourth quarter, Chicago ultimately marched back down the field for the game-winning field goal. Now the Vikings' strange season has careened into the bye, with the five-game win streak feeling strangely distant now.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: No. 20 (Down 6 spots)

I'm not sure how to process that Vikings loss to the Bears. Their offense was beyond inept. Joshua Dobbs has been a great story this season but he was inexplicably bad Monday night. It's possible it was just a one-off performance and Dobbs will bounce back, but it seemed like perhaps the clock just struck midnight.

Bleacher Report Staff: No. 16 (Down 2 spots)

Who knew that a quarterback on his third team since August might not be a franchise savior? Yes, Dobbs' scrambling ability makes him entertaining to watch, but there's a reason he only won one start with the Arizona Cardinals—and part of that reason is he makes bad decisions and turns the ball over. If the Vikings want to move on from Kirk Cousins after this season, fine. But the notion that Dobbs could be anything more than a stopgap was always a fantasy. And Monday night, Cinderella turned back into a pumpkin.

ESPN Staff: No. 15 (Down 2 spots)

The Vikings have played more games without injured star receiver Justin Jefferson (7) than they have with him (5) and have started three different quarterbacks, so to have an average offense this season should be considered an accomplishment. Their defense has been perhaps the biggest factor in getting them back in the playoff race after an 0-3 start. From Week 4 to Week 12, it ranked No. 2 in the NFL in defensive efficiency. Their special teams has produced two successful fake punts, but very little in the return game. — Kevin Seifert

The Ringer Staff: No. 19 (Down 5 spots)

After four interceptions by quarterback Joshua Dobbs (whose magic might be wearing off) in a Monday Night Football loss to the Bears, the Vikings now lead the league in turnovers, with 24. Seven (!) of those have come in the past two games. The Vikings are still technically in the NFC’s playoff picture, but they won’t stay there for long if they keep playing mistake-prone football, like we’ve seen the past two weeks. —Lindsay Jones

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: No. 15 (Down 2 spots)

That was a damning loss to the Bears that really hurts their playoff hopes. Josh Dobbs came back to reality in a big way in that one.

Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk: No. 19 (Down 7 spots)

It was fun while it lasted.

David Helman, FOX Sports: No. 16 (Down 3 spots)

Josh Dobbs was bound to have a game like he did last night; you just figured it would have happened when he first got to town rather than a month later. It’s as ugly a loss as any that’s happened in the league this season. But the Vikings get a week off, and they may have Justin Jefferson back when they return to action. Can’t afford to let it linger.

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