Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports After another big win, the Minnesota Vikings have surpassed the Detroit Lions in almost every NFL Week 6 power ranking. The Detroit Lions had the week off in Week 5, but while they were away, the Minnesota Vikings tallied yet another statement win. Forcing Aaron Rodgers to throw three interceptions in London, the Vikings took down the New York Jets and are now just one of two remaining undefeated teams. Beyond just the wins, the Vikings may also have the best resume in football. Their five opponents have a collective 13-12 record, and the Vikings’ +63 point differential is 19 points higher than the next-best teams (Saints +44). So maybe it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that, per most NFL analysts, the Vikings have surpassed the Lions in their weekly power rankings. In the nine rankings we follow every week, the Vikings are considered a top-two team in seven of them, and they’re ahead of the Lions in all but two, as well. Let’s take a closer look in our NFL Week 6 power rankings roundup. MMQB: 2 (Last week: 2) From Conor Orr: At the bye, we are finally starting to realize how good the Lions are. A team that is so maddening to play that the opponents they beat are often flattened the week after. A great find via Chris Long. Vikings: 3 While the paint job seems to be thinning a bit on the Vikings’ supernova, this team has given itself an incredible runway and gets a massive showdown with the Lions after their bye week. An early self-scout and a rest period for veterans like Aaron Jones are coming at the right time. Brian Flores can evolve on a scheme that no one can seem to figure out. We’ll have to wait another week for the latest Andrew Van Ginkel pick-six. NFL.com: 3 (Last week: 3) From Eric Edholm: The Lions could be 4-0, having let the Bucs game slip through their fingers before this past week’s bye. That said, this year so far has played out similarly to 2023, when they tripped up against Seattle early but mostly held serve until the Ravens walloped them. Detroit could face some tough moments in this upcoming stretch of four road games in five weeks — all of them tough challenges, too. But the good news is that the offense seems to be rounding into form, even while surely having left several points on the field in the first four games. The defense? Get back to me on that one. I won’t overlook the work the unit put in during Weeks 1 through 3, keeping the Lions in those games while the offense treaded water, but in Detroit’s most recent tilt, Seattle’s Geno Smith and Kenneth Walker III diced up Aaron Glenn’s unit. There are enough reasons to feel encouraged about the Lions going on another run, but also just enough trap doors not to get too, too comfy. Vikings: 1 The bye week would have felt a lot different had the Vikings somehow coughed up Sunday’s game in London after jumping out to a 17-0 lead. But as shaky as things got, all three phases contributed in a notable way to the 23-17 victory over the Jets, pushing the dream start to this campaign to 5-0. Sam Darnold struggled worse than he had all season, badly overthrowing an interception into traffic that opened the door for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. The offense struggled with the loss of RB Aaron Jones to a hip injury, but Darnold made enough big throws late. Andrew Van Ginkel’s pick-six opened the early floodgates and Stephon Gilmore’s pick closed the door. But don’t forget rookie Will Reichard’s three big field goals in crummy weather, two of them from beyond 50 yards. It’s OK to win ugly sometimes. Yahoo Sports: 3 (Last week: 4) From Frank Schwab: The Lions can’t get caught looking ahead. They have what has become a massive game at Minnesota in Week 7, but first is a trip to Dallas. Losing that would put a ton of pressure on them to beat the Vikings a week later. Vikings: 2 We’ll see how well the Jets win ages, but we can put it in the quality win bucket for now. That’s four impressive wins in a row for the Vikings. The offense wasn’t great, but that was against a tough defense. No team has looked more complete this season. Sporting News: 4 (Last week: 3) From Vinnie Iyer: The Lions are enjoying a bye while adding more balance and explosiveness to their offense, which has raised the defensive playmaking. They should be even more put together after the week off. Vikings: 2 The Vikings have done everything to prove their worth as the best team in the NFC, thanks mostly to Andrew Van Ginkel and the rest of Brian Flores’ defense. They’re not “perfect” as an undefeated team with some offensive kinks, but their resume is strong with the Jets being the latest victim. The Ringer: 4 (Last week: 3) From Diante Lee: Detroit has been winning, so we haven’t spent much time nitpicking over the process, but this passing attack has taken a step back from what we’ve seen the past two seasons—even considering the “perfect” outing against Seattle last Monday night. Jared Goff’s decision-making hasn’t looked as sharp in the middle of the field, which is an old wart that I thought offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had removed from the quarterback’s game. If Goff can go back to getting the ball out into space quickly, like he did in Week 4, I expect this team to hover around the top five all season. Vikings: 7 Since half time of last week’s game against Green Bay, quarterback Sam Darnold has had a combined stat line of 23/44 for 318 yards, two interceptions, and six sacks. Head coach Kevin O’Connell can get the ball to star receiver Justin Jefferson whenever he wants, but Darnold’s issues with distributing the ball and avoiding pressure are becoming more evident. Minnesota has had problems moving the ball on the ground without running back Aaron Jones as well, and it feels like this team can’t hide Darnold much longer, even as it continues winning. USA Today: 4 (Last week: 4) From Nate Davis: Hope you fellas got your rest during the bye. Next up? A brutal five-stretch with road games at Dallas, Minnesota, Green Bay and Houston. Vikings: 2 They wobbled out of London with a close-shave victory. However QB Sam Darnold looked like … Sam Darnold. And RB Aaron Jones’ hip injury further hindered the offense. Good thing there’s more to this team – like a ferocious defense and OLB Andrew Van Ginkel, the first player in league history to record at least three sacks and multiple pick-sixes in the first five weeks of a season. CBS Sports: 4 (Last week: 5) From Pete Prisco: They come off their bye with a big road game at Dallas against the Cowboys. Here’s hoping they worked on their secondary play since they needed it. Vikings: 2 The offense showed some flaws against the Jets, but the defense came up big again. Brian Flores is doing one heck of a job with that unit. The Athletic: 6 (Last week: 5) From Josh Kendall: The Lions have managed to settle at sixth in these rankings in part because of their offensive balance. Fantasy football players aren’t big fans of balance. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is the most perplexing case on the team. His average draft position this year was sixth, but he’s currently 25th in points per game (17.12). Detroit’s top two running backs — David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs — are basically the same fantasy player (17.38 ppg vs. 17.77 ppg), which cuts into the value of each, and Gibbs was drafted 13th in the preseason. Vikings: 1 Darnold’s surprising season is nicely illustrated by his fantasy numbers. His average draft position was 223rd. His actual rank after another victory is 31st, and he’s 12th among quarterbacks with 16.5 points per game. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson is underperforming his draft position (drafted sixth, currently 14th in points per game, 19) but not by much, and no one in Minnesota is complaining with the Vikings undefeated. Aaron Jones (15.7 fantasy ppg) has been a good pick but left early Sunday with a hip injury. The 33rd team: 6 (Last week: 5) From Marcus Mosher: Detroit was on a bye in Week 5, and it remains one of the top teams in the NFC. What is fascinating about the Lions is they appear to be a stronger team this year than in 2023, but they might not win their division. The Vikings have looked so dominant out of the gate, and their Week 7 matchup could decide who wins the NFC North. Make no mistake about it: the Lions are a Super Bowl contender again this season. Vikings: 2 It shouldn’t be shocking anymore at this point that the Minnesota Vikings are ranked so highly. No team in the NFL has played a more difficult schedule, and they’ve faced a gauntlet of elite quarterbacks, including C.J. Stroud, Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, and Aaron Rodgers. Yet, they’ve conquered them all. The Vikings are absolutely a legit playoff contender and with a Week 6 bye upcoming, it will be hard to put an NFC team ahead of them anytime soon.