NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Adding the Vikings to our list of contenders

2024 has been quite the rollercoaster for the Minnesota Vikings after losing long term starting QB Kirk Cousins in free agency and first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy to an ACL injury in training camp. Despite the obvious lowering of expectations that have followed, they have played some incredible football and find themselves among the Super Bowl contenders, but where does every other team rank?

There was never much hope for the Raiders this year after going into the season with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell as their quarterback options, but we weren't expecting everything else to fall apart, too. Just give the offense to Desmond Ridder for the rest of the season and see if they have something there, otherwise they're just wasting their own time.

The Giants lost to the Saints in one of the worst games of the season on Sunday and now look ready to pack it in for the season. Drew Lock hasn't inspired much confidence, even though his insertion into the offense has come and one of the worst imaginable times.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

There is almost nothing to like about this season for the Titans. Will Levis has shown flashes, but nothing to suggest he is the long term guy. Brian Callahan is arguably already on the hot seat less than a year into his role as head coach and the team is 3-10.

The Jets put together a much better performance on Sunday, nearly beating a resurgent Dolphins team until their defense collapsed. Aaron Rodgers looked better than in previous games, but we're not sure if it benefits anyone for him to stay for another season.

As Frank Schwab writes for Yahoo Sports, “The Jaguars have one positive highlight of this season and it's Brian Thomas Jr.” We liked Thomas coming out of LSU, but had him behind the elite wide receiver prospects. So far, he has outperformed them all.

The rest of the season this will be about building up Drake Maye, who has impressed since taking over as the starter. Elsewhere, there are significant issues to fix, and they won't happen in one off season, but at least there's a building block.

Jameis Winston has single-handedly turned Jerry Jeudy's career around, with the former Bronco now fourth in the NFL in receiving yards, per ESPN. Outside of that, there's not much to be optimistic about for next season, presuming Deshaun Watson is still on the roster.

The sight of Micah Parsons storming off the field should be a worry to Cowboys fans. At his best, he's one of the truly elite players in football, but if he is starting to get frustrated with the coaching and his teammates, there could be worrying times ahead.

Per Yahoo Sports, Derek Carr is now week-to-week with a hand injury that will probably end his season. Reports earlier in the season suggested the Saints were still reluctant to have a full reset and still viewed themselves as contenders. They might need to rethink that.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Matt Eberflus' firing came two-thirds of a season too late. The Bears looked completely defeated from the moment they stepped on the field against the Niners, and it showed on the scoreline. Caleb Williams is too talented to be ruined by good coaching, so we hope they make the right moves in the off season.

The Panthers' resurgence continues, even if they can't get over the finish line with a win. Carolina pushed the Super Bowl-contending Eagles all the way on Sunday, but just came up short. It's the perfect result, as they are still in line for a top-five pick in next year's draft, but players and fans will have more confidence going into next year.

Kirk Cousins ​​has thrown eight picks and no TDs in his last four starts, per ESPN, which is an embarrassing run for anyone, let alone a big-name free agent. The Falcons looked like a team capable of a deep playoff run just a few weeks ago, now, they aren't even leading their division.

The Colts need to beat Denver on Sunday to have any chance of sneaking into the wild card round. We don't see it happening given Anthony Richardson's inconsistencies and Denver's elite defense. There are the building blocks of a good team here, it may just be a year too early.

Kyler Murray threw a couple of picks on Sunday that were almost unforgivable in a game of such importance. He hasn't played well late and the Cardinals have fallen out of a playoff spot because of it.

A 'what could've been' season for the Dolphins, who struggled when Tua went down with an injury early in the season. There is a reason why some teams invest so heavily in their backup QB position, something we expect Miami to address in the off season.

The Bengals have a solid chance to end the year above .500 if they win out, which we think they can do given their schedule. Hopefully the front office is brave enough to spend some money in the off season rather than just hoping Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase win every game by themselves.

We had high hopes for the Texans this season, and they could still be realized, as it looks like they have a playoff spot sewn up already. Still, there's something about this version of the team we don't quite trust. We love watching CJ Stroud play, so we would love to be proven wrong.

The Niners are fighting for their playoff lives, even if it may be too little, too late. Their Thursday Night Football matchup against the Rams could be one of the best games of the year if both offenses click into gear.

The Buccaneers have looked like a better team than their record indicated for most of this season, but now, finally, they have got back over .500 and find themselves on top of the NFC South. They will prove to be a tough matchup in the playoffs if they are able to hold on.

Bo Nix has played better than many (not us) expected this season, and the Broncos are in a great position to earn a playoff berth. Defensively, this is the second-ranked team in the league by EPA/Play, per SumerSports. They won't be an easy matchup for anyone in January.

We had to think long and hard about where to put the Rams after their offensive explosion against a top-10 Bills defense. If they are able to follow it up with a win over the Niners on Thursday, we will be ready to put them in the mix of serious NFC contenders, but stringing together consistent performances has been a struggle this season.

Justin Herbert is playing well and limiting mistakes, but the overly conservative style has arguably cost them in some of their losses this season. The Chiefs were there for the beating on Sunday, but they couldn't get it done.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

The Seahawks close out the season by playing the Packers, Vikings, Bears, and Rams. That's a brutal stretch to close out the season, playing two Super Bowl contenders, a Bears team desperate for some pride and the Rams in what could be a NFC West title decide. If they make it through that to the playoffs, they will have earned the respect of everyone in football.

The Commanders need to keep winning to ensure their spot in the playoffs, and they should be able to as they play the Saints, Eagles, Falcons, and Cowboys to see out the year. There are three very good opportunities to win. If they make it to the postseason, this will be a hugely successful first year for Dan Quinn et al.

The Ravens are a Super Bowl contender, and are a matchup nightmare for everyone in football. They just keep dropping games we would have liked them to win to really prove their mettle. A playoff spot is all but secured, so now we would like to see them stack some wins to close out the season.

Per Steelers Depot, George Pickens could be set to miss another game as he deals with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. If that's the case, their chances of beating the Eagles fall drastically given their lack of talent outside the former Georgia Bulldog. This is a very good team due to their great defense, but their offense could struggle again without Pickens.

The Packers very nearly played spoiler last Thursday, as a win against the Lions would have drastically altered the NFC playoff standings. In the end, they didn't have quite enough to get it done. Still, this team is loaded offensively, and we can see them going on a playoff run if Jordan Love gets hot.

Sam Darnold played maybe his best game since the 2017 Rose Bowl on Sunday, throwing for 347 yards and five TDs on 22/28 passing. If he can keep playing at that level, this becomes as dangerous a team as there is in football. Will the Vikings look to keep Darnold long term after his impressive season?

We think there's a very good chance the Chiefs go on to win the Super Bowl given their incredible recent record and because the AFC will likely go through KC. Still, these tight, last second victories scare us a little bit. We wouldn't be shocked if they lose in the divisional round, or they cruise to their third Lombardi in a row.

The Bills' defense had an off day against the Rams, and it looked to be a blowout until Josh Allen put the team on his back eleven again and made it close. Sean McVay was called Allen an “alien” after the game, per USA Today, which just about sums it up.

The Eagles played their worst game for a couple of months and still pulled out the win. There may be some slight tension around the lack of production from the passing game, but winning cures all ills, and this team keeps winning. Sunday's game against the Steelers should be awesome.

The Lions continue to look like the best team in the NFL, even if they haven't been blowing teams out like they did to start the season. The mounting injuries, especially on the defensive side of the ball, could catch up to them at some point, especially as they play the Bills, Niners, and Vikings over the next four weeks.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!