NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Rams finally end losing streak by blowing out Falcons

8. Minnesota Vikings (12)

The Minnesota Vikings are the perfect example of how quickly things can change in the NFL after Mike Zimmer’s team earned a third win in a row on the road Sunday afternoon after taking down a familiar face in the Detroit Lions.

For the second week in a row, Kirk Cousins put together a strong outing on offense after throwing for four touchdown passes, which coincidentally was the same amount thrown in the Week 6 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

After watching Minnesota suffer that embarrassing loss on the road a few weeks ago against the Chicago Bears, Cousins received plenty of criticism for his poor level of play since the Vikings were paying him all that money, and he was failing to get the necessary results.

A three-game winning streak for Minnesota certainly doesn’t make Cousins off the hook, but the Vikings quarterback does deserve plenty of credit for this team’s recent rise into becoming a top contender in the NFC.

Also, Cousins has benefitted in a big way from Dalvin Cook continuing to put together big games on offense for Minnesota after the running back found the end zone twice against the Lions while rushing for 142 yards in the process.