The Minnesota Vikings return from their bye week to face a 2-4 Indianapolis Colts team that fired GM Chris Ballard on Monday. With an extra week to prepare and get healthy, the 5-0 Vikings are 6.5-point favorites in Sunday's game.

Beating Indianapolis may not convince skeptics that Minnesota is for real, but improving to 6-0 matters because of the brutal four-game stretch ahead after the game. On Friday, ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote that the Vikings will need to win Sunday to survive a potential humbling slate of games that begins in Week 8 at Detroit.

"Their four most recent opponents, including the Colts on Sunday, have a combined record of 5-18," Seifert wrote. "Their next four opponents, which will include the Bills (5-1) and 49ers (6-0), are a combined 18-5. The Vikings want to take care of business Sunday if for no other reason than to give themselves some breathing room as they approach the upcoming gauntlet."

That stretch includes a trip to Lambeau Field on November 15 to play the Green Bay Packers. So even if their Sunday matchup against the Colts won't change perceptions that the Vikings aren't the powerhouse that fellow unbeaten San Francisco and Kansas City are, a win is essential to keep pace in the NFC.

Still, ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) has Minnesota at a 65.4% chance to beat Indianapolis by an average of 3.9 points.