NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

No. 17 (up 5 spots): NFL Staff – Bleacher Report

For the Minnesota Vikings, the theme of the 2021 season had been close but no cigar. Over the first nine weeks of the year, Minnesota played seven games that were decided by one score. The Vikings were 2-5 in those games.

Sunday’s trip to Los Angeles was another close one. Only this time, Minnesota was able to seal the deal.

Thanks to 294 passing yards and two scores from quarterback Kirk Cousins and 118 total yards from running back Dalvin Cook, the Vikings earned a seven-point victory that got Minnesota to within a game of .500 for the season.

After the game, Head Coach Mike Zimmer talked up the resiliency of a squad that has gone down to the wire just about every week this season.

“I told the team it takes a lot of courage to fight through adversity when everybody’s shooting arrows at you,” Zimmer said. “They came here to work and they fought like crazy all week, like they always have, and it finally paid off.”

The win keeps the Vikings in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the NFC, but there’s no time for rest or attaboys. On Sunday, the Vikes play host to the NFC North-leading Packers.