The Minnesota Vikings are in a great spot coming out of their bye week. They are 5-0 and can take a two-game lead over both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions with a win over the latter. 

Now, it won't be easy to get that win, as the Lions are one of the best teams in the National Football League and are right at the top of the power rankings just like the Vikings are.

After the Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys by a hefty amount 47-9, it brought the NFC North up to 17-5, solidifying it as the best division in the NFL.

Where do the Vikings land after six weeks in the power rankings?

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ESPN's NFL Nation

Last week: 2
This week: 2

Lesson learned: Wait until the Vikings play the games.

Minnesota was a preseason consensus pick not only to finish last in the NFC North but to do so with a record below .500 — partly because of a brutal opening to its schedule. Mathematically, both projections could still come true. But at 5-0, Minnesota is more than halfway to ensuring a winning record in 2024. The Vikings have also dominated their opponents with an NFL-high 63-point scoring differential. — Kevin Seifert

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Yahoo! Sports' Frank Schwab

Last week: 2
This week: 3

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CBS Sports' Pete Prisco

Last week: 2
This week: 2

Coming off their bye, they face the Lions at home, which will be a big division game. The Brian Flores defense will be challenged by that Lions offense.

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NFL.com's Eric Edholm

Last week: 1
This week: 1

Life is pretty good. The Vikings rolled into the bye at a perfect 5-0 and were able to enjoy some downtime. Head coach Kevin O'Connell rang a big bell prior to a Dodgers-Padres playoff game, while quarterback Sam Darnold led his USC Trojans out of the tunnel for their bout with Penn State. The Vikes had earned the off-week rest and rewards, as it was a pretty wild first third of the season, with trips to New York, London and even upper Wisconsin. Now the stakes are raised. Four of the next six contests are on the road, and they kick off this next spate of games with a big showdown at U.S. Bank Stadium, hosting a Lions team that just put up 47 points in Dallas but lost Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg. The Vikings need to clean up the offensive turnovers and special teams mistakes to keep the perfect run going.

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USA Today's Nate Davis

Last week: 2
This week: 3

Leaders of an NFC North off to a historically hot start, the Vikes currently have the only intra-divisional win of 2024 but will get another chance to certify their (undefeated) legitimacy with the Lions coming to the Twin Cities on Sunday.

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The Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer

Last week: 2
This week: 2

The Vikings' defense and its big playmaking could only be cooled off by a bye week. They also could use better health to get players like tight end T.J. Hockenson back in the mix on offense, but with DC Brian Flores putting forth a "Coordinator of the Year" effort, this team can play with anyone.

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Bleacher Report's NFL Staff

Last week: 2
This week: 2

Frankly, we've already seen a bit of the shine come off Darnold and the Vikings—he completed just 45 percent of his passes in London in Week 5 and had a passer rating that barely cracked 50. But so far this season, Minnesota has found a way every week to pull out a win. If they can do so against the Lions next week, the Vikes won't just be in first place—they'll have the NFC North in a choke-hold — Gary Davenport

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Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr

Last week: 3
This week: 3

Speaking of Hutchinson, boy do I wish he was healthy for this Vikings-Lions matchup. This deserved to be a game that occurred with both teams at full strength, though that’s not the reality of the NFL. At the bye, Minnesota is the eighth best team in the NFL in terms of dropback success rate on offense and, defensively, is the second best team in the NFL in terms of dropback success rate allowed. I wonder what Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores have cooked up after the self scout. 

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The Ringer's Diante Lee

Last week: 7
This week: 8

Minnesota got to 5-0 by playing some of the most complementary football in the league, but quarterback Sam Darnold’s performance last week was concerning. He completed just 45 percent of his passes and threw a pick in Week 5. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has worked hard to create opportunities within the offense for Darnold to be aggressive, but it’s difficult to keep him out of harm’s way when this offense can’t run the ball and set up play-action passes. Whether this team maintains its grip on the NFC North depends on what this offense looks like coming out of its bye week, though I expect O’Connell to double down on keeping things easy for Darnold.

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Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio

Last week: 3
This week: 3

With the Lions and Rams four days apart, the Vikings are about to be tested.

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The Athletic's Josh Kendall

Last week: 1
This week: 1

Everyone is waiting for the Vikings quarterback to turn into a pumpkin. He has started fast before, they say, and they’re right. Darnold had 1,346 passing yards in Weeks 1 through 6 of the 2018 season with the Jets. The difference? Darnold had nine passing touchdowns and seven interceptions to start that season. This year, Darnold has 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. In three of the last four seasons that Kevin O’Connell has been head coach or offensive coordinator for a team, that team has been top 10 in the league in scoring. The Vikings are sixth at the moment (27.80 ppg).

Vikings catch a break ahead of NFC North showdown and it could be a bigger deal down the line

The Vikings will have a much different gameplan on Sunday