ESPN Week 3 Power Rankings: Minnesota Vikings crack Top 10

ESPN has released their Week 3 Power Rankings, and finally the Minnesota Vikings are starting to gain some traction among NFL experts.

After failing to crack the Top 10 in Week 2, Sunday’s victory over the Green Bay Packers catapulted the Minnesota Vikings into the lime-light. (Complete ESPN Power Rankings here)

ESPN’s Top 10-

1. New England Patriots
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. Carolina Panthers
5. Denver Broncos
6. Houston Texans
7. Minnesota Vikings
8. Cincinnati Bengals
9. Green Bay Packers
10. Seattle Seahawks

ESPN had this to say about the Minnesota Vikings-

"Maybe Sam Bradford is good? Or maybe Stefon Diggs is just that good. Bradford was 9-of-10 for 182 yards when targeting Diggs in his Vikings debut. Bradford will need another big game from Diggs to win at Carolina in Week 3."

Aaron Rodgers was outperformed by Sam Bradford, who would have thought that coming into 2016. Cam Newton is on the horizon, can Bradford keep it rolling against the hard-nosed Panthers?

Last week the Minnesota Vikings came in at No. 12, while the Packers were ranked No. 1. Although it wasn’t a blowout, the Viking’ defense flashed signs of greatness.

Speaking of defense, it seems to be the dominating factor early on for teams in the upper echelon. New England, Arizona, Carolina, Denver, Houston, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Seattle all have top-notch defenders, and the experts are rewarding those clubs.

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Some fans feel that the Minnesota Vikings do better as the “under-dog,” but if you’re consistently performing well, you better get used to being the favorite.

The Vikings are 2-0 for the first time since 2009. Teams that have started out at 2-0 have over a sixty percent chance of making the NFL postseason under the current playoff structure. Things are looking good early for the Vikes.

Week 3 may bring Minnesota’s toughest challenge to date. The Carolina Panthers have one of the NFL’s best defensive front sevens in the game, giving Minnesota’s struggling offensive line their toughest opponent yet.

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If the Minnesota Vikings come out of Bank of America Stadium with a win, they might be favored in every game going forward. A confident young squad is scary when they get on a roll, look for the Minnesota Vikings to keep it going against the Panthers.