The Minnesota Vikings shocked many in week one with their 28-6 victory over the New York Giants. Not only did they establish themselves in the trenches, quarterback Sam Darnold had a renaissance game to begin his first season with the Vikings.

How did the power rankings respond to the Vikings' performance? Did they buy into it or will they need to see more evidence? Let's take a look at what the league thinks of the Vikings heading into week two.

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ESPN

This week: 22
Last week: 23

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell gave out five game balls after Sunday's 28-6 victory over the New York Giants, and four of them went to newcomers. But none were more impactful than Darnold, who completed 15 of his first 17 passes. His 80.3 QBR was one of the best single-game marks of his career, as was his completion percentage above expectation (CPOE) of 12.7%. No pass carried more future implications than the 44-yard rainbow he dropped into WR Justin Jefferson's hands against double coverage, a throw Jefferson urged him to make throughout the offseason and one that suggests Darnold has developed a high level of trust in the Vikings' best player. — Kevin Seifert

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NFL.com's Eric Edholm

This week: 20
Last week: 23

The last time Sam Darnold took the field in Week 1 for a new franchise, he led a stirring upset of his former Jets squad for the Panthers in 2021. Sunday marked a similar triumph on familiar turf, as Darnold turned in a remarkably clean performance against the Giants on his old home field. Even taking into account his interception, which came on a throw delivered while he was getting hit, Darnold was very poised and in control throughout. And how good does that Aaron Jones pickup look? He scored the first touchdown to get the Vikings going and then helped close out the Giants by averaging 8.4 yards per run after halftime. The defense welcomed the new pressure sources (Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, Dallas Turner and Jihad Ward), and the team appeared to strike oil with holdover Pat Jones, who had his first career two-sack game after logging just five sacks in his first 42 NFL games. It was a terrific start for the intriguing Vikings, but the schedule gets pretty serious (vs. 49ers, vs. Texans, at Packers) over the next several games.

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CBS Sports' Pete Prisco

This week: 18
Last week: 25

Sam Darnold impressed in leading the Vikings over the Giants. The defense also came up big. This team might be better than expected.

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Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio

This week: 24
Last week: 25

It’s hard to tell whether the Vikings simply beat up on a bad team, or whether they have a chance to be good.

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The Athletic's Josh Kendall

This week: 14
Last week: 23

The Vikings let Kirk Cousins leave for Atlanta, then lost rookie J.J. McCarthy to a season-ending injury. Now it’s the Sam Darnold Show, and the first episode wasn’t that bad. Darnold finished 19 of 24 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Eight Vikings caught passes, and Aaron Jones rushed for 94 yards. Four Minnesota defenders, including rookie Dallas Turner, had at least one sack.

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Yahoo! Sports' Frank Schwab

This week: 20
Last week: 26

We'll see if Week 1 was more about Sam Darnold taking a first step in a career revival or the Giants being awful on defense. What we do know is Darnold had one of the best games of his career. Given the positive environment around him, he might have a good season.