Are the Detroit Lions the best team in the NFL? Let’s take a look at some NFL Week 8 power rankings.
After beating the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings, are the Detroit Lions now the best team in football? According to several NFL Week 8 power rankings, the answer to that question is a resounding “yes.” While the Kansas City Chiefs remain the only undefeated team remaining—and still many analysts’ top team in the NFL—the Lions are playing some very solid football right now, led by a red-hot offense that just took it to the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
Three of the eight power rankings we examine every week have the Lions at No. 1, while all but two of the remaining five have the Lions at No. 2 behind the Chiefs. In several of these power rankings, the Lions have a few paragraphs devoted to them, making an argument for them at the top spot.
Here’s a look at each of those individual power rankings.
MMQB: 1 (Last week: 2)
A new No. 1 in the Power Rankings this week, which I’m sure no fan base will have any problem with at all. I allowed the stats to break the tie in this one, and while the Chiefs are undefeated, the Lions have a far more efficient offense right now, they just beat one of two lone undefeated teams and are nearly identical to the Chiefs in terms of EPA per play allowed and opponent success rate. Plus, the Lions are racking up style points now and, just like the old NCAA bowl committee, I am attracted to shiny things (and I’m wildly corrupt).
The Ringer: 1 (Last week: 3)
Detroit continues to rise to the occasion under head coach Dan Campbell, checking all the boxes of a true championship contender and winning games in ways that leave little doubt about what the team can do in the postseason. In the face of Minnesota’s unrelenting blitzes on defense, Jared Goff remained calm and took easy completions until he knew it was time to push the ball downfield, and he did so with the type of accuracy and anticipation that signals he can’t be manipulated as a passer in the same ways he once was. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has put together the NFL’s most balanced attack, and this team is so dynamic on offense that it’s hard to feel like the defense’s issues will be an obstacle. Detroit’s grip on the NFC is firm and likely won’t be challenged until December.
The Athletic: 1 (Last week: 3)
You could have argued before Sunday that the Lions had a weak resume. Then they beat the NFC’s only undefeated team. Detroit is averaging a league-best 40 points per game since Week 4. Jared Goff, who has thrown seven touchdown passes and no interceptions in his last three games, leads the NFL in passer rating (111.5).
Sporting News: 2 (Last week: 3)
The Lions looked sharp again offensively by spreading the ball around in a different way to keep Jared Goff hyper-efficient. They should be considered strong NFC favorites after knocking off Minnesota.
Yahoo Sports: 2 (Last week: 4)
Jared Goff’s past three games: completed 58 of 68 passes for 887 yards, seven TDs, no INTs and a staggering 153.1 passer rating. The two things we learned from the Lions’ win Sunday: Detroit is a bona fide Super Bowl contender and Goff is an MVP candidate. Jameson Williams’ potential two-game suspension doesn’t help but the Lions have the offensive depth to make up for it.
CBS Sports: 2 (Last week: 4)
They have a dynamic offense that will continue to roll up big numbers. They do need to find a replacement for the injured Aidan Hutchinson. Go get Maxx Crosby.
The 33rd team: 2 (Last week: 5)
If the season ended today, Jared Goff would be your NFL MVP. He’s playing at the highest level of his career, and the Detroit Lions just took control of the NFC North by beating the Vikings in Minnesota.
Goff has been nearly flawless in the last three weeks, and the Lions will need that to continue if they want to make a run to the Super Bowl. Somehow, the Lions look even better in 2024 despite losing Aidan Hutchinson for the season.
USA Today: 3 (Last week: 4)
(Chiefs 1, Ravens 2)
The very early leaders for home-field advantage in the NFC, they might actually be more dangerous on the road – where they’re undefeated with an average margin of victory of 15.7 points.
NFL.com: 3 (Last week: 3)
After staking the Vikings to a 10-0 lead, committing five penalties in an ugly first quarter, the Lions ripped off 21 unanswered points in the second quarter. Things also got dicey late, as the 11-point lead evaporated and the Lions fumbled twice (with one run back for a touchdown) in the final six minutes of the game. But when Detroit absolutely had to have it, Jared Goff delivered some clutch throws on the game-winning field-goal drive, and the Lions got out of Minnesota with a gutsy two-point win. The stats say the Lions sacked Sam Darnold four times, and that’s true, but there were times when the Vikings’ offense was heating up where you looked around for Aidan Hutchinson, waiting for him to make a game-saving play. Those aren’t coming anytime soon. If Hutch returns this season, it’d be for the Super Bowl, and even that’s no guarantee, so the Lions might want to consider adding more pass rushers. But they have the requisite fearlessness and explosiveness befitting a championship-level team, and that can’t at all be dismissed.
