
May 11, 2009 (St. Paul Pioneer Press delivered by Newstex ) --
Sports Illustrated's Peter King, one of the country's top NFL writers, has ranked the league's 32 teams, as of this moment.
Interestingly, King has the defending NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings as 15th in the NFL... one spot behind the Green Bay Packers and 11 behind the Chicago Bears .
Here is what he wrote about the Vikings:
"It's hard to forecast because the offense is so spotty after Adrian Peterson, and I can only assume Percy Harvin will stay on the straight and narrow with so much at stake in his life and career, but they don't sell insurance for those kind of things. We don't know who will play quarterback for the Vikes. But either Sage Rosenfels or (Brett) Favre would be better than Gus Frerotte. Eight times they scored 28 or more last year, mostly with Frerotte playing. The biggest benefit? Minnesota has the easiest first month in Football: at Cleveland, at Detroit, San Francisco, Green Bay, at St. Louis. If they don't get out to a 4-1 start, you know something's wrong."
As for the fourth-ranked Bears , King said the defense and the addition of Jay Cutler should vastly improve the team.
"If Cutler can lead an offense that puts up 400 points, only a point and a fraction more than a year ago, the Bears should win 12," King wrote.
King wrote that he was "shocked" that the Packers won only six games last season and noted that he "wouldn't be surprised" if they win 10 in 2009.
That, apparently, means the Vikings will win nine games.
Finally, he has the Detroit Lions 31st, one spot ahead of the Cleveland Browns.
Newstex ID: 34835499