The National Football League season is now halfway over and there are quite a few surprises.
The biggest has to be the Houston Texans. Led by rookie phenom quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Texans see themselves at 4-4 after Stroud threw for a rookie-record 470 yards and five touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s looked phenomenal early on in Bobby Slowik’s offense and the Texans are thriving.
The other really big surprise has been the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson is having another MVP-caliber season along with defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald setting himself up for a head coaching opportunity next season.
The latest batch of power rankings had the Minnesota Vikings anywhere from standing pat to a double-digit rise. See where the industry had the Vikings in the latest NFL power rankings.
ESPN's NFL Nation
Last week: 17
This week: 16
Non-QB MVP: RT Brian O’Neill
This is difficult given the Vikings’ injury-based roster churn on offense and their weekly personnel shifts on defense. But after spending training camp in the final stages of recovery from an Achilles injury he suffered Jan. 1, O’Neill returned to the lineup in Week 1, has played every offensive snap and leads the NFL in pass block win rate at 94.7% (ESPN/NFL Next Gen Stats). His presence has been especially valuable given injuries that have forced left tackle Christian Darrisaw to miss a pair of games. It’s always tough to predict voting for postseason awards among offensive linemen, but O’Neill deserves strong consideration for All-Pro honors. — Kevin Seifert
NFL.com's Eric Edholm
Last week: 19
This week: 17
Between Kevin O’Connell’s coaching and Joshua Dobbs’ short-week relief work, Sunday’s win ranks pretty highly on the sweetness scale. Considering everyone the Vikings didn’t have going in, plus everyone they lost during the game, this was a coaching masterpiece, with Dobbs providing late heroics after some early setbacks. Thirty-one points and a road victory? Incredible stuff. The defense came up with big plays, especially in the third quarter. With a 5-4 mark and Justin Jefferson’s return looming, it’s not outrageous to think about the playoffs. The Vikings have winnable games remaining against the Broncos, Bears, Raiders and Packers. But this Sunday’s game against the Saints could end up being a massive one for both teams’ playoff hopes. For this Kirk Cousins-less Minnesota outfit, it’s wild that we’re even saying that.
The Athletic's Josh Kendall
Last week: 24
This week: 17
On Sunday, Josh Dobbs was 20-for-30 for 158 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 22 seconds remaining. Why is that so impressive? It was his first day taking a snap in Minnesota’s offense. Dobbs was acquired via trade Tuesday but did not take a snap in practice because the Vikings were starting rookie Jaren Hall. However, Hall got injured on the first series of the game, leading to Dobbs’ heroics. He also led the Vikings in rushing with 66 yards.
CBS Sports' Pete Prisco
Last week: 23
This week: 12
Josh Dobbs to the rescue. Dobbs came off the bench in his first game with the team and led it to a comeback victory. At 5-4, the Vikings are alive in the playoff race.
USA Today Sports' Nate Davis
Last week: 23
This week: 16
“It’s like if you were taking AP Spanish all year, and you showed up and someone told you Wednesday … you have an AP French exam on Sunday,” new QB Josh Dobbs said of learning Minnesota’s offense on the fly Sunday. Good thing he’ll face the fleur-de-lis from New Orleans on Sunday.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio
Last week: 16
This week: 14
Is Josh Dobbs the future? For now, he’s the present.
Yahoo! Sports' Frank Schwab
Last week: 24
This week: 18
Sunday’s win said a lot about Joshua Dobbs, his professionalism and competitiveness. It probably said as much, if not more, about head coach Kevin O’Connell. We see coaches with good quarterbacks come into games with their teams looking unprepared. O’Connell figured out a way to have Dobbs, who had just been benched by a horrible Cardinals team and traded, run a fully functional offense and win on the road. O’Connell has had some good moments, but Vikings fans should go forward after Sunday with more confidence than ever in their coach.
Bleacher Report's NFL staff
Last week: 21
This week: 18
With Kirk Cousins on the shelf with a torn Achilles, the Minnesota Vikings turned to rookie Jaren Hall under center—for all of six pass attempts. Then, after Hall was concussed, the Vikes were forced to turn to Joshua Dobbs, who had been with the team all of five days after being acquired at the trade deadline.
Despite having just arrived, Dobbs threw for two touchdown passes and ran for a third, leading the Vikings to a comeback win that was the team’s fourth straight win and fifth victory in six games.
The Ringer's NFL staff
Last week: 18
This week: 18
Minnesota’s future took a turn for the worse with Kirk Cousins’s injury, obviously. But the Vikings had to love what they saw from Josh Dobbs after he was forced into sudden action against Atlanta. He took a sack for a safety and was strip-sacked in his own territory before he even completed a pass, but rebounded and eventually led Minnesota to a comeback win.
Dobbs isn’t a perfect quarterback, but he showed what he can do with his legs and with smart play calling from Kevin O’Connell on Sunday, and it wasn’t half bad. The bonus? Justin Jefferson could be back soon. —Nora Princiotti
Fox Sports' David Helman
Last week: 19
This week: 16
In the big picture, it might be in Minnesota’s best interest to lose games and improve its draft stock. But where’s the fun in that? We watch this sport to have fun and see amazing things, and what could be more amazing than Josh Dobbs guiding the Vikings to a win without knowing the offense — or even his own teammates? They’re a fun team and an even more fun story. I hope they keep it going.
Pro Football Network's Dalton Miller
Last week: 15
This week: 15
Dobbs deserves his flowers. He wasn’t supposed to play against Atlanta, and although the Vikings’ offense is similarly constructed to Arizona’s, the language is different. And there is no rapport built with his new teammates – rapport and timing matter so much at the NFL level.
Still, Dobbs completed two of every three attempts, threw two touchdowns, and ran for one. As he gets more comfortable within the offense, the Vikings could remain competitive in the NFC.
Vikings Wire's Tyler Forness
Last week: 14
This week: 14
The Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer
Last week: 15
This week: 14
How about Josh Dobbs? [The Vikings] didn’t start him, but he sure did finish off the Falcons to keep their momentum going without Kirk Cousins. They’re right back in the thick of the NFC Wild Card race and still have two left with the Lions in the final three games.
