NFL Week 7 power rankings: Was Detroit Lions’ statement win over the Cowboys overshadowed by Aidan Hutchinson’s injury?
Had it not been for one single play, the Detroit Lions’ win over the Dallas Cowboys would have unanimously put Detroit in the “best team in football” conversation. A 47-9 victory on Jerry Jones’ birthday, on FOX’s Game of the Week no less, would certainly grab that national media’s attention.
Unfortunately, that one play happened, and the best defensive player in football through six weeks will likely miss the rest of the 2024 season. The injury to Aidan Hutchinson looms large, but does it ultimately sink the Lions?
In our NFL Week 7 power rankings roundup, it’s a mixed bag. A few pundits moved the Lions down because of the Hutchinson injury. Others moved the Lions up a spot following their offense’s dominant performance. One thing was unanimous, though: the Lions are still a top-five team.
MMQB: 2 (Last week: 2)
Can you imagine how many agents of edge rushers on bad teams are getting calls from their clients right now asking for the opportunity to play for Dan Campbell and alongside this beefy defensive line? I expect the Lions to be aggressive to limit the wound licking period after the unfortunate Aidan Hutchinson injury.
Sporting News: 3 (Last week: 4)
The Lions demolished the Cowboys in Dallas with a heavy dose of the running game and more big explosive pass plays from Jared Goff playing off it. They might need even more from the offense with Aidan Hutchinson (leg) unfortunately down for the long-term. In the short term, NFC North supremacy is on the line when they travel to Minnesota in Week 7.
The Ringer: 3 (Last week: 4)
This 47-9 win was supposed to be a party for the Lions, but concerns are high after young edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken leg on a sack of Dak Prescott. This defense was already hanging around average with the NFL’s current sack leader in the lineup, and his absence bodes poorly for a defense that badly needs pass rush production to be at its best. This team may be one of the league’s best, but the margin for error narrowed some after Hutchinson’s injury.
The Athletic: 3 (Last week: 6)
The Lions were the most impressive team in the league against the Cowboys, but they lost the NFL’s sack leader when Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken leg. Hutchinson had 7 1/2 sacks and led all defensive linemen with a 25 percent pressure rate at the time of the injury. Humiliating Dallas while Jared Goff posted a 153.8 passer rating Sunday felt good, but a season with the highest expectations just got tougher.
Yahoo Sports: 4 (Last week: 3)
Detroit has an offense that can outscore a lot of opponents, and that’s how they’re going to have to win. That can be a successful formula, especially if the defense gets plenty of turnovers. But the Lions’ path got a lot harder without one of the NFL’s most valuable defenders. If Detroit doesn’t make its first Super Bowl, they can look back at that one unfortunate play in a blowout of the Cowboys being a major reason.
USA Today: 4 (Last week: 4)
The league’s highest-scoring team has posted its first set of consecutive 40-burgers in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). Sadly for the offense, it may not have the luxury of letting up at all given the defensive blow suffered Sunday, when Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Aidan Hutchinson was lost to a broken tibia.
CBS Sports: 4 (Last week: 4)
They came off their bye and blew out the Cowboys in impressive fashion. The injury to Aidan Hutchinson will be felt in a big way. The offense might need to do even more.
NFL.com: 5 (Last week: 3)
Sunday’s game was shaping up to be one of the banner victories of the Dan Campbell era … before a devastating injury to Aidan Hutchinson abruptly put a huge damper on the day. If Hutchinson’s sack of Dak Prescott is the last we see of the Pro Bowl edge rusher this season, it will be a brutal loss for a Lions team that was firing on all cylinders in Dallas, ultimately destroying the Cowboys, 47-9. To the Lions’ credit, the defense played inspired ball after Hutchinson left the game, and it’s that Campbell-fueled spirit that should have even the most jaded observer believing in this team, even after such a wicked injury loss. If the offense has to carry the burden for the remainder of the season, Sunday was a pretty good reminder of what is possible. The Lions busted out all the tricks, and not all of them worked, but almost everything else did in a vicious, thorough and diverse beatdown of a broken Cowboys defense. How will the Lions respond this week against the unbeaten Vikings in Minnesota? Win or lose, I expect to see their trademark resolve in that massive divisional showdown.
The 33rd team: 5 (Last week: 6)
The Detroit Lions took care of business against a compromised Cowboys team in Week 6 in blowout fashion. However, it was a costly win as Aidan Hutchison suffered a gruesome leg injury that will end his season.
Despite getting a huge win against another NFC foe, Detroit’s odds of winning the Super Bowl actually went down because of the injury. It was a bittersweet win that will have a massive impact on the rest of the season.
