NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Another Tough Loss Has Vikings in Trouble

The Vikings dropped another tough game on Thursday night, falling 34-28 to the Eagles after losing the turnover margin by three for the second time in five days. Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and the entire pass game have been humming, which suggests the Vikings still have some upside if they can take care of the football and get any sort of run game going.

But at 0-2, things are already getting dicey. It's an uphill battle to make the playoffs for teams that lose their first two contests. Historically, starting 0-3 is basically a death sentence, which means the stakes are high for this Sunday's game between the winless Vikings and Chargers at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Let's check in on the national power rankings to see where Minnesota stands after a slow, turnover-filled start. With each site, we'll note where they have the Vikings ranked among the nine 0-2 teams.

Conor Orr, SI.com: No. 29 (Down 5 spots)

I suppose we could ask ourselves if Justin Jefferson fumbling the ball out of the back of the end zone changes the makeup of this game, giving Philly a four-point halftime deficit instead of a six-point halftime lead. But, without Jefferson, the Vikings may be the second or third-worst team in football. Kirk Cousins’s extremely misleading stat line covers up the chilling reality of this team: they cannot run or stop the run. They are last in the NFL in rushing yards, and third-to-last in preventing rushing yards from happening.

Rank among 0-2 teams: 6th of 9

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: No. 24 (Down 2 spots)

The offense is not the problem. Minnesota is averaging 6.3 yards per play, which ranks second in the league. The universe is the problem. It allows one-score game luck to go on only so long. The Vikings were 11-0 in one-score games last season. This year: 0-2. Vikings fans were very angry with the Power Rankings last week for a joke about moving wide receiver Justin Jefferson. How about a serious suggestion to make a call to New York and see how much the Jets will pay for quarterback Kirk Cousins?

Rank among 0-2 teams: 3rd of 9

Eric Edholm, NFL.com: No. 22 (Down 5 spots)

In two games, the Vikings have handed off 26 times, netting a total of 69 yards, with a long run of 9 yards. According to Next Gen Stats, only 30.8 percent of those runs were deemed successful. They've only attempted four runs in 30 fourth-quarter plays. One, a 3-yard loss on first-and-goal from the 1. Another, a Kirk Cousins scramble. The other two were 6- and 7-yard gains from Alexander Mattison. Maybe Mattison's early fumble against the Eagles killed off any designs on running the ball. Or perhaps the Eagles' front did that by itself. But two weeks into the season, this Vikings team is flawed offensively: too dependent on throwing to Justin Jefferson, and not good enough on the ground.

Rank among 0-2 teams: 3rd of 9

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: No. 23 (Down 3 spots)

Last season the Vikings were an astonishing 11-0 in one-score games, which was an NFL record. This season they're 0-2. Regression is a real thing.

Rank among 0-2 teams: 4th of 9

Bleacher Report Staff: No. 21 (Down 4 spots)

Last year, the Minnesota Vikings were one of the luckiest teams in the NFL. They won 13 games and the NFC North despite boasting a negative point differential and the second-worst defense in the league. The Vikings played in 11 one-score games and won them all. That good fortune appears to have abandoned the Vikings in 2023. Two weeks in, they've played in a pair of one-score games and lost both. They already have half as many losses as they suffered in all of 2022.

Rank among 0-2 teams: 2nd of 9

ESPN Staff: No. 25 (Down 5 spots)

Contract situation to watch:

QB Kirk Cousins

Current contract situation:

Under contract through the 2023 season

Cousins will turn 36 next summer, but barring significant signs of a physical decline, he stands to be a top free agent target next spring if the Vikings don't re-sign him first. And to this point, there are no indications that he is approaching a drop-off. Through two games, Cousins is second in the NFL in passing yards (708), is tied for first with six touchdown passes and ranks No. 6 in QBR (71.6). He has committed four turnovers, including three lost fumbles, but from an overall business perspective, he has started the season well. —

Kevin Seifert

Rank among 0-2 teams: 4th of 9

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: No. 26 (Down 2 spots)

At 0-2, they will be playing a survival game of sorts this week against the Chargers, who are also 0-2. The defense has run-game issues.

Rank among 0-2 teams: 3rd of 9

Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk: No. 25 (Down 4 spots)

Last year, the coin always landed heads. This year, tails hasn’t failed.

Rank among 0-2 teams: 3rd of 9

David Helman, FOX Sports: No. 19 (Down 2 spots)

If the Vikings were even mediocre at taking care of the ball, they might be 2-0. Instead, they’ve turned it over seven times in two weeks and the record reflects it. There’s a lot to like about the offense, and the NFC North is wide open. No need to panic. Just hold onto the football.

Rank among 0-2 teams: 3rd of 9

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