NFL Power Rankings, Week 18: Vikings Fall After Another Blowout Loss

Can a team be a true contender if it's prone to getting blown out this badly?

The 2022 Minnesota Vikings have had a historically strange season. There's never been anything quite like this. They're the only 12-4 team to ever have a negative point differential, sitting at minus-19 after their third blowout loss of the season. They've been out-gained in over half of their games. They rank 28th out of 32 teams in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric, with 5.8 estimated wins (or less than half their actual total).

The Vikings are 11-0 in one-score games, but when they've lost, it's been in convincing fashion. There was a 24-7 loss to the Eagles back in Week 2. Then a shocking 40-3 home defeat against the Cowboys, Minnesota's only blemish in nine contests at U.S. Bank Stadium. Then an 11-point loss in Detroit, followed by a 33-0 halftime deficit against the Colts that they somehow overcame.

On a much-anticipated Sunday in Green Bay, it happened again. The Vikings shot themselves in the foot in all three phases, falling behind 41-3 to their biggest rivals before salvaging the scoreline a bit with two garbage time touchdowns.

The Vikings bounced back from each of their three previous losses with a victory, and they should have no trouble doing so against Nathan Peterman and the Bears this Sunday. But as the playoffs get set to begin, it's going to be difficult to trust a team that has found itself down by 38, 37, and 33 points over the last seven weeks.

Then again, maybe their one-score magic will continue. PFF's Steve Palazzalo put it best:

Vikings are either winning the Super Bowl or losing a playoff game by 40
— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) January 1, 2023

Let's take our weekly look at the power rankings to see where the Vikings fall to this week and what various national analysts thought of their no-show at Lambeau Field.

Dan Hanzus, NFL.com: No. 11 (Down 4 spots)

The Vikings are like The Alliance of Magicians headed by G.O.B. in Arrested Development, posing for a goofy group photo while holding a sign that reads "We Demand To Be Taken Seriously." Twelve wins and a division title cannot be ignored, but it's hard to credibly view the Vikes as Super Bowl contenders when their season is littered with gnarly blowout losses like the 41-17 takedown we witnessed on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Minnesota suffered meltdowns in every phase of the game and generally looked like the clearly inferior team despite the records of the parties involved. The doubts will follow this team into the postseason.

ESPN Staff: No. 8 (Down 1 spot)

Highest power ranking in 2022

: 3

Lowest power ranking in 2022

: 11

Regular season in five words or fewer:

Close win or blowout loss

For the most part, it's been one or the other every week this season for the Vikings. They've won an NFL-record 11 games by one score, including eight via fourth-quarter comebacks. All four of their losses have come by double-digit deficits and an average of 22.3 points. As a result, they've been outscored by opponents 414-395. "When we lose," receiver

Justin Jefferson

said, "we lose bad. We've got to fix that and find ways to be better throughout the whole game." —

Kevin Seifert

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: No. 7 (No change)

The No. 3 seed isn't a bad place for the Vikings. If they're No. 3, they face the sixth-seeded Giants on wild-card weekend. If the Vikings move up to No. 2 they'd get the No. 7 seed, which is probably going to be the Packers. And we saw on Sunday how that matchup turned out.

Bleacher Report Staff: No. 8 (Down 1 spot)

It might seem strange to say that a 12-win team should be worried. But with the 2022 Vikings, it's also the truth. After getting blasted by the rival Packers on Sunday, the Vikings have been outscored by 19 points for the season. While the Vikings have won nail-biter after nail-biter, Sunday marked the third time this year that Minnesota has been boat-raced by at least three scores.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: No. 7 (Down 1 spot)

They were terrible in losing to the Packers, which makes the word fraud once again pop up when discussing them. They have a negative point differential, which is bad.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: No. 8 (Down 1 spot)

The Vikings have lived on the close game this season and have perished pretty badly in their blowout losses to the Eagles, Cowboys, Lions and Packers. They are looking to be at their coldest for the playoffs.

Nate Davis, USA Today: No. 10 (Down 3 spots)

Unbelievable that a 12-4 team with a division title in hand has been outscored by 19 points on the season. Minnesota would have to win by 50 Sunday to avoid owning the worst differential by a team with at least 12 victories since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

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