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This will make Vikings fans very uncomfortable and maybe even angry. I'm sorry, but EPR doesn't hate your team. It thinks the Vikings are perfectly mediocre. Minnesota's offense looked good in its Week 4 win against the Texans, and rookie Justin Jefferson might be this year's version of A.J. Brown. Among the 106 wide receivers who have run at least 50 routes, Jefferson ranks first in yards per route run, and he's tied for the league lead (coincidentally with Stefon Diggs) with eight catches of 20-plus yards.

They got their first victory over the season to save it, but now have to go out on the road again to play the Seahawks. That won't be easy.

Nice for Minnesota to get into win column. Next, Mike Zimmer's inexperienced corners get thrown into the fire against Russell Wilson.

FPI chance to make playoffs: 22.7%

The Vikings grabbed their first win of the season by beating an inept Houston squad. And still, Minnesota couldn't close out a team it had a 31-16 lead on with 10:50 to play without a late-game scare. So this seems right. Kirk Cousins is correct: Any time a team can score 30 points and put up 400-plus yards on offense, it's doing something right. That is part of the Vikings' blueprint for winning games, but until this offense can routinely win shootouts against other high-octane offenses, the Vikings' playoff chances look dim. -- Courtney Cronin

The Vikings took their season off life support with a narrow win over the Texans, and it looks like Gary Kubiak's offense has found its footing. It all goes through Dalvin Cook, of course, the superstar running back who never seems to get the pub of his similarly gifted contemporaries. When Cook (130 yards rushing, two TDs) is right, it makes life much easier for Kirk Cousins, who -- for all his strengths -- isn't the type of quarterback who can put an offense on his back. There are still concerns about the defense, which needed a goal-line stop in the final minute of the game (aided by an overturned Will Fuller touchdown reception) to avoid a consecutive second-half collapse.