The Vikings are singing a different tune this week thanks to some stifling defensive plays, a critical 2-minute drill on offense and, an addition to the pregame music inside their locker room.
Inspired by the MLB's Texas Rangers – who are currently two wins away from reaching their first World Series since 2011 – Minnesota's players decided to switch up what they would listen to before a pivotal road game at Chicago on Sunday. It worked, as the Vikings defeated the Bears 19-13 to earn their first division victory of the season and fifth consecutive over Chicago.
Which group did the team add, you ask? I'll let quarterback Kirk Cousins explain:
"[Center] Garrett Bradbury in the locker room pregame took a clip from the Texas Rangers and made sure that Creed got played before we went out on the field, and I felt like that may have made the difference. We got that going for us," Cousins said during his postgame press conference. "The Rangers have been playing Creed, and they're rolling in the playoffs. We thought we'd mix up the genre a bit, get some Creed in there. Garrett made sure it happened and it was well-received."
"They've got quite a catalog, but we started with 'Higher' this week. We didn't want to overstep our bounds," Cousins quipped. "Next week maybe we can see what we go to from there."
The victory helped the Vikings (2-4) climb the ladder in a few lists in this week's Power Rankings.
Here's a look at where the Vikings rank heading into Week 7:
No. 25 (no change): Eric Edholm, NFL.com
The good news is that the Vikings are now 1-0 without Justin Jefferson this season. The bad news: The offense didn't really have much to do with Sunday's 19-13 win in Chicago. The hope was that Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and maybe Alexander Mattison could each help absorb some of Jefferson's yards, and they did, at least to some extent – but the offense really labored outside of the impressive touchdown drive right before halftime. In six second-half possessions, Minnesota gained 36 yards. That left the team's fate in the hands of the defense. Say the words "backup QB" to a Vikings fan and watch the color leave that face. Chase Daniel, Cooper Rush and Matt Moore are recent QB2s who have beaten Minnesota, and it looked for a second like Tyson Bagent would join the illustrious club before the defense forced two critical second-half turnovers.
No. 26 (up 2 spots): Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
Winning at Chicago may delay any of that talk of selling off parts at the trade deadline. They face a tough one against the 49ers this week.
No. 26 (down 5 spots): Josh Kendall, The Athletic
The Vikings victims have a combined record of 1-11. That kind of sums it up. And the Bears ended Sunday's game with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. Kirk Cousins is second in the league in passing yards (1,679), but it hasn't mattered. Justin Jefferson is out until at least the Nov. 12 game against New Orleans and could be out a lot longer. Every Minnesota game has been decided by one possession, but that shouldn't change the fact that this team should be a seller at the trade deadline.
No. 25 (down 2 spots): NFL Staff, Bleacher Report
The Vikings came into Week 6 a desperate 1-4 team short their best playmaker, clinging like grim death to rapidly fading postseason hopes.
They left Chicago with a win, thanks in large part to the team's best defensive performance of the season. But if Week 6 was any indication, Minnesota's playoff hopes are just about done.
Yes, the Vikings got the victory. But without Justin Jefferson, Minnesota had just 220 yards of offense against one of the league's worst defenses. Even Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins said the team didn't play well offensively.
"I felt like we would have a positive play, get to a manageable down and distance, and then we'd have a negative play, whether it was a penalty or go backward a little bit," Cousins told reporters. "And now, we've sort of shot ourselves in the foot in order to be able to extend the drive."
Mind you, this is a Vikings team that ranks 21st in the league in scoring defense. A team that ranks 30th in the NFL in rushing after letting Dalvin Cook go in the offseason. Jefferson was far and away the most valuable player on Minnesota's roster.
And now that he's sidelined indefinitely, there's really nothing left to talk about but Kirk Cousins' future (or lack thereof) in purple and gold.
No. 25 (up 1 spot): Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
The Vikings are now beating up on bad teams to get wins, as they've beaten only the Panthers and Bears. They will be upset-minded with their defense again when they host the 49ers next, but they do need a quick offensive rebound with Kirk Cousins in a tough spot.
No. 22 (up three spots): Nate Davis, USA Today Sports
Another week and another key injury (Linebacker Marcus Davenport, ankle) for a struggling team apparently determined not to have a fire sale.
No. 22 (up 1 spot): Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports
The Vikings season was possibly saved by Creed. That might be the ultimate "desperate times call for desperate measures" story.
