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News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

NFL Power Rankings: Vikings Among League's Biggest Risers

The Vikings have won back-to-back games for the first time in 2019.

Minnesota moved to 4-2 on the season after a convincing 38-20 win over the Eagles. Kirk Cousins threw for 333 yards and four scores, the offense ran for 100-plus yards and the defense made plays when it mattered most.

The Vikings will now finish off their NFC North road schedule with Sunday's game against the Lions. Kickoff is at noon (CT) from Ford Field.

The experts released their Power Rankings lists heading into Week 7.

Here's a look at where the Vikings rank:

8 (Up 8 Spots): Dan Hanzus – NFL.com

We come to praise Kirk Cousins. The Vikings quarterback was a punching bag when the offense was slumping earlier this month, so it's only fair we point out how excellent Cousins was, both in Week 5 against the Giants and — especially — on Sunday against the Eagles. Cousins shredded Philadelphia's milquetoast secondary, finishing with four touchdowns and 333 yards on 22-of-29 passing. Three of those scores went to Stefon Diggs, who stepped into a starring role one week after Adam Thielen went off for 7/130/2 against the Giants. And, hey, those were the two teammates who made no secret about their disappointment in the offense (read: Cousins) after the Vikings were shut down by the Bears in Week 4. Cousins is no dummy — you want to keep your best guys happy. That's what he's done in back-to-back wins.

7 (Up 5 Spots): Frank Schwab – Yahoo! Sports

OK, that was a quality win. Kirk Cousins played well. They have opened up the offense, which needed to happen after that miserable loss to the Bears. It'll be a week-to-week thing if they can sustain that and if Cousins can continue to play well against good opponents, but Sunday was a good sign.

10 (Up 8 Spots): Pete Prisco – CBS Sports

Kirk Cousins was sensational against the Eagles. Maybe the big-game failures are behind him. If the offense plays like that, they can win a lot of games.

11 (Up 5 Spots): NFL Staff – Bleacher Report

Week 6 Result: Won 38-20 vs. Philadelphia

For most of the 2019 season, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been on the side of the proverbial milk carton. Missing in Minnesota.

Kirk Cousins certainly found him in Week 6.

On a day where Cousins had his best game of the season, Diggs was the primary beneficiary. He led the team with seven grabs for 167 yards and three scores in a decisive win over the Philadelphia Eagles that may have been the Vikings' most complete effort of the year.

"The Vikings have looked good in back-to-back wins over the Giants and Eagles," Gary Davenport said, "and Minnesota also owns a resounding victory over an Oakland Raiders team that's better than we thought. But this is also the same Vikings team that's 0-2 in the division and seems to shrink when the lights are brightest more often than not. Minny has road trips coming to Detroit, Kansas City and Dallas that could change my mind about this team, but I'm still not quite ready to consider it a legitimate Super Bowl contender."

"Minnesota has taken a lot of heat from me this season," Brad Gagnon added, "but only the Vikings and New England Patriots have won four or more games by 16 or more points this season. The Vikes lack consistency, but it's fair to wonder if Kirk Cousins and Co. have actually begun to turn things around. Maybe the strife from two weeks ago was just what they needed. Week 7 in Detroit will be very telling."

8 (Up 6 Spots): MMQB Staff – Sports Illustrated

The Vikings needed a big game, and they got it thanks to Stefon Diggs' seven catches on 11 targets for 167 yards and three touchdowns. The Eagles' secondary is shambolic at best, but sometimes all you need is a slump-buster to get back on track.

6 (Up 4 Spots): Vinnie Iyer – Sporting News

Don't look now, but Kirk Cousins just had his two best games as the Vikings' quarterback in consecutive convincing victories. The running game has opened everything in the passing game while easing pressure on Cousins. The defense is starting to feed off that energy, too.

7 (Up 2 Spots): Nate Davis – USA TODAY Sports

They've won three of four, and Kirk Cousins has seven TD passes, one INT and a 121.0 QB rating in that time. What was everyone spun up about?

10 (Up 4 Spots) Courtney Cronin – ESPN.com

Many expected a tight end to assume the role of WR3 in the Vikings' offense given Gary Kubiak's history with the position. However, in Minnesota's first six games, Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith, Jr., have a combined 16 catches for 165 yards and no touchdowns while Tyler Conklin has yet to be targeted. The Vikings rank 27th in receiving yards, 26th in receptions and are one of three teams without a receiving TD by a tight end. The Vikings paid a pretty penny to bring back Rudolph this offseason and used a high draft pick on Smith but haven't utilized this position group all that much beyond run blocking.

11 (Up 3 Spots) Mike Florio – Pro Football Talk

It's not a prime-time game at Detroit, but it's precisely the kind of big spot in which Kirk Cousins has continuously gacked in the past.

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