https://thevikingage.com/minnesota-vikings-earned-respect-before-training-camp-began

Vikings just earned surprising respect before training camp even began

The Minnesota Vikings are one of the more polarizing teams entering the 2026 NFL season. Expectations for the purple and gold are all over the place, with some expecting the team to be contenders while others expect a complete collapse.

A good way to get a feel for how experts and analysts see the Vikings this season is to look at power rankings. Although they haven't taken the field for training camp, there is plenty to evaluate with the talent on the roster, the ability of the coaching staff, and more.

Considering they ended last season with a winning record and didn't finish at the bottom of the NFC North is amazing, considering the issues the team faced with injuries and immense struggles at the quarterback position. Fans have to hope that Minnesota has fixed some of those issues this offseason.

Pre-training camp NFL power rankings have the Minnesota Vikings in an interesting spot

FanSided's Jason La Canfora is a respected NFL analyst who recently shared his pre-training camp power rankings for the 2026 NFL season. While it may not look very notable at first, fans of the Vikings will notice a few interesting tidbits.

Minnesota earned the No. 15 spot in La Canfora's power rankings, which means he sees the Vikings as a team that is slightly above average.
Here is what he had to say about the team heading into the upcoming season.

"Kyler Murray is a better QB than anything the Vikings had last year and the defense is elite … but Murray tends to run out of steam."

There is no denying that Brian Flores should have Minnesota's defense ready to go again this season. If the offense can manage to average, this could be a team that makes some noise...unless the quarterback position holds them back again.

Interestingly, Minnesota is ranked above the Detroit Lions, who are at No. 17. They are also ranked higher than these four playoff teams from last year:

- New England Patriots (16)
- Carolina Panthers (18)
- San Francisco 49ers (20)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (23)

It will all come down to how much Kevin O"Connell and the Vikings can squeeze out of the offense this season.

There are some great weapons available to the team, and the defense should remain a strength, but this should be a year when the purple and gold claim a postseason spot unless something tragic happens.