NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Vikings on the Rise After Shocking 49ers

That was the kind of performance Kevin O'Connell has been chasing from his team all season long.

Coming in as seven-point home underdogs against the 49ers on Monday night, the Vikings played complimentary football in all three phases. They shook off another early turnover from their offense and got the ball right back on defense. The offensive line was outstanding. Kirk Cousins executed the game plan almost to perfection, leaning on Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson and numerous others. The defense sealed the deal with two late interceptions from Cam Bynum.

The end result was a 22-17 victory in primetime that has the Vikings' season back on track. They've now proven that they can play with — and beat — anybody when they're on top of their game, even without Justin Jefferson and Marcus Davenport. Now the schedule eases up, giving the Vikings a chance to continue stacking some wins together. The challenge, now, is to play at or near this level on a consistent basis.

Let's take a look at this week's national power rankings to see how far the Vikings rose and what various analysts thought of their surprising victory on MNF.

Conor Orr, SI.com: No. 22 (Up 5 spots)

Brian Flores and Kirk Cousins, two maligned Vikings, had incredible nights. Flores, especially, mixed coverages so well and was one of the first coordinators to have Brock Purdy looking constantly uncomfortable. Cousins avoided pressure well and, according to ESPN, became the second quarterback over the last two seasons to have 300-plus passing yards and two or more passing touchdowns against this defense. Cousins was also tied for the most passing attempts (45) in a game this year without a sack.

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: No. 16 (Up 10 spots)

One question:

Who designs the Vikings’ turnover celebrations?

Whoever it is should get a raise. Minnesota forced three turnovers Monday night against the 49ers but got to do four celebrations because one was called back when Brock Purdy was ruled down by contact. On the first, the Vikings defenders did a limbo line using 198-pound cornerback Akayleb Evans as the limbo pole. On the second, the defenders all sat in a circle in the end zone and played duck, duck, goose. On the third one, Camryn Bynum and teammates did the worm in the end zone. On the fourth, Bynum and friends celebrated finishing off the upset.

Eric Edholm, NFL.com: No. 20 (Up 5 spots)

The wild goal-line sequence in the third quarter that ended in a Minnesota field goal made me think the Vikings were going to blow the game. That decision felt flawed at the time, and the 49ers came right back and scored. But I give Kevin O'Connell credit for his game plan on the whole (which limited possessions) and his trust in the defense (which made big stops in crunch time). KOC also called a terrific game for Kirk Cousins. To his own credit, Cousins made a ton of terrific throws under fire, enjoying one of his best outings in recent memory. Jordan Addison missed a chunk of the game to injury, but the rookie wideout was absolutely tremendous, especially after losing that early pass on the interception. We're not quite back in 2022 mode, but this team is suddenly dangerous again.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: No. 15 (Up 7 spots)

That was Kirk Cousins' masterpiece. It will be forgotten the first time Cousins has a bad game because everyone likes dunking on Cousins, bringing up his poor prime-time record and acting like he has never had a good game in the NFL. But he threw for 378 yards to save the Vikings' season against a 49ers defense that might be the NFL's toughest, and did it all without Justin Jefferson.

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

The Minnesota Vikings went into Monday night as a two-win team whose only victories had come against the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. There was more talk about which veterans (including quarterback Kirk Cousins) could be traded than any notion of the Vikes getting back into the race in the NFC North. That has all shifted now. After downing the favored 49ers, the Vikings are suddenly a team that has won three of four after an 0-3 start. A team that didn't allow a single sack on 45 Cousins dropbacks against one of the league's best defenses. A team that lit up said defense for 452 yards. Without superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson, too.

ESPN Staff: No. 21 (Up 4 spots)

Young riser:

WR Jordan Addison

Addison, 21, leads all NFL rookies with six touchdown receptions. The 23rd pick of the 2023 draft started the season as the Vikings' No. 3 receiver but quickly earned quarterback Kirk Cousins' trust and has often been Cousins' first read following the hamstring injury to star receiver Justin Jefferson. Addison has a smooth release from the line of scrimmage and naturally moves toward open areas of the field. "Jordan is the real deal," Cousins said. "We hit on that draft pick. He's a great player." —

Kevin Seifert

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: No. 19 (Up 7 spots)

They've won two straight games to right things and maybe hold off any potential fire sale. Kirk Cousins was outstanding against the 49ers.

Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk: No. 17 (Up 8 spots)

Was last night a fluke, or the first flicker of a flame?

David Helman, FOX Sports: No. 19 (Up 4 spots)

Don’t look now, but the Vikings are officially in the mix for a wild-card spot. And they got there by beating a member of the league’s elite. Not a bad place to be when all the talk about this team has centered around trading off assets before the deadline.

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