Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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ESPN analysts Field Yates noted that the Vikings boast one of the NFL’s talented rosters, including a stacked unit on defense.
Yates wrote:
A year ago, Super Bowl hopes were legitimate in Minnesota. Some say they still should be. That being said, the player who was supposed to push Minnesota to the next level — quarterback Kirk Cousins — was solid but unspectacular in Year 1, and the offensive line was a mess. The hope for GM Rick Spielman is that the first-round selection of Garrett Bradbury, inking Josh Kline and improved play from incumbent starters will be enough to get the line in order. Defensively, Minnesota is without major weaknesses. The time for the Vikings to win is now, so missing the playoffs again would be a significant disappointment.
But what made ESPN’s ranking more interesting was the fact that they listed three NFC North teams all in a row just outside the top 10.
The Bears were a spot in front of Minnesota at No. 11, and the Packers checked in as the 13th team in the projections.
Chicago had an overall grade of 80.5, barely ahead of the Vikings. The Bears were listed as having the second-best roster minus the quarterback with a grade of 86.0.
Yates wrote that the Bears are boosted by the trade for Khalil Mack last September, plus the fact that quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is on a rookie contract.
Green Bay, meanwhile, had an overall grade of 79.6. The Packers were lifted in the rankings in the quarterback evaluations, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers helped Green Bay get the second-best mark in that area with a grade of 94.3.
The Lions ranked 21st overall in the projections with a score of 74.5. Detroit’s highest score was at quarterback, where Matthew Stafford ranked 14th with a mark of 80.7.
Indianapolis led the rankings with an overall score of 87.8, as the Colts ranked in the top eight in all five grading areas.
The full future power rankings can be found here.