Vikings Disrespected by ESPN's Early 2022 NFL Power Rankings

The Minnesota Vikings will enter a new era of football next season with Kevin O'Connell being hired as the team's head coach. Playing in an NFC North division that is up for grabs in 2022, the Vikings have the pieces in place to improve and are being disrespected by ESPN's early power rankings.

Vikings Power Rankings

The Vikings find themselves ranked at No. 20, which would have them on the outside of the playoff picture. It's hard to overlook the talent on this roster, though. Minnesota sent five players to the Pro Bowl this past season, while wide receiver Justin Jefferson also landed on the All-Pro second team.

The offense has never been the issue. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has guided the Vikings to a top-13 scoring finish in each of the last four seasons. Meanwhile, O'Connell enters after leading the Los Angeles Rams' offense to a top-six scoring finish and a Super Bowl title this past season.

Minnesota's defense has been deteriorating over the last few seasons, though. Newly hired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell is tasked with upgrading a unit that allowed 383.6 yards per game in 2021 (No. 30 in NFL). The good news is that the Vikings have eight picks in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft to take advantage of.

Cousins is on the final year of his deal and should be motivated to prove that he is capable of carrying a team to the promised land. Seeing the Vikings grab a Wild Card spot is much more realistic than people seem to think. Minnesota has odds set at +3300 to win Super Bowl 57, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.