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NFL Power Rankings 2019: Raiders have helmet issues, Browns hype grows

By Randy Gurzi

NAPA, CA - AUGUST 05: A detail of a helmet during the Oakland Raiders Training Camp at the Napa Valley Marriott on August 5, 2009 in Napa, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
NAPA, CA - AUGUST 05: A detail of a helmet during the Oakland Raiders Training Camp at the Napa Valley Marriott on August 5, 2009 in Napa, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – AUGUST 09: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings comes to the line of scrimmage during the first half of a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes Benz Superdome on August 09, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – AUGUST 09: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings comes to the line of scrimmage during the first half of a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes Benz Superdome on August 09, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

14. Minnesota Vikings (14)

One of the biggest disappointments in the 2018 season was the way the Minnesota Vikings played. After just missing out on becoming the first team to ever play a Super Bowl in their own stadium, the Vikings made an aggressive move in free agency. They replaced Case Keenum with Kirk Cousins, giving the former Washington Redskins signal-caller a three-year contract worth a fully-guaranteed $84 million.

Cousins had good stats but it wasn’t enough to get them consistent wins. They also had serious struggles trying to establish the run, although they ended up pinning much of that on former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who was fired during the season. In the end, they were 8-7-1 and outside of the playoffs, which was a huge letdown.

Now with Kevin Stefanski in charge of the offense, the Vikings hope to become a more balanced offense. They looked to be exactly that on Friday as they finished with 247 yards passing and added 213 on the ground while scoring four offensive touchdowns. Their best stat though was the zero sacks they surrendered, which is a huge plus for a team that has had offensive line issues as of late.

It’s a huge season for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer as he continually has competitive teams but has yet to take the final step. He needs to show he can do that this year to avoid finding himself on a hot seat.

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