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Justin Jefferson gives Minnesota a true No. 1 target, and Kevin O’Connell knows how to create favorable throws from play action. The Vikings sit No. 17 because the quarterback transition and protection around Kyler Murray remain unsettled. Minnesota can compete when the offense stays on schedule, but crowded pockets still put too much pressure on the quarterback to create the answer himself.
Minnesota starts the regular season with a 79.0 PFM Team Score and the No. 17 spot in PFM’s NFL rankings. Movement will appear after the first published weekly ratings update.
Minnesota needs the quarterback competition to produce one answer it can trust, with Kyler Murray currently in the mix. The larger concern is quarterback transition and an offensive line that has to protect a smaller mobile passer.
Pick the winner.
Minnesota sits near the middle of the league at No. 17 in schedule strength, with opponents averaging 80.4. Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers create the toughest stretch, but 5 games against current top-10 teams keep the schedule from belonging at either extreme.
Toughest remaining opponent: 
San Francisco 49ers at 86.6 PFM.
Minnesota brought Harrison Smith back on a one-year deal Saturday after spending the offseason uncertain whether he would play a 15th season.
The timing is key because Jamal Adams is already on injured reserve with a torn quad tendon, leaving the Vikings thinner in the secondary than they planned entering camp. Smith is 37 and started only two games last season, so this is not a reason to raise the Team Score by itself. PFM will review Defense and Roster Strength because the move restores proven depth to an 80.2 defense.
Shared profile: Offense and Roster Strength.
Minnesota finds answers across the field through the offensive line, while Pittsburgh finds answers across the field through the offensive line. The connection in Offensive Rating and Roster Strength is a second answer when the preferred matchup or personnel package gets taken away. Explosiveness is the main separator because Minnesota gets more drive-changing chances from the offensive line.
Where they separate: Explosiveness. Vikings hold the stronger current rating.
Minnesota Vikings sits 4th in the division, 7.5 PFM points from Detroit.
Minnesota has made 4 trips to the Super Bowl without a championship.
