The first AP Pro 32 Poll of the season was released on Tuesday, and the Minnesota Vikings received 355 votes, starting the season ranked third behind the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles and the runner-up New England Patriots. The Vikings were the only team in the top four (the Los Angeles Rams came in at number 4) not to garner a first place vote from one of the twelve voters. They did, however, grab two second place votes.
While these polls are completely subjective, the folks that actually make the poll in this case have a little bit more experience with the game.