With the Chiefs loss are the Lions the unanimous best team in football? Check out our Week 12 NFL power rankings roundup.
After the Kansas City Chiefs loss to the Buffalo Bills this past week, the Detroit Lions now hold a share of the best record in the NFL. They’re also nearly lapping the field in point differential, scoring 159 more points than their opponent. The next closest in the Buffalo Bills at 106, then the Philadelphia Eagles at 80.
The Lions’ brilliance can no longer be denied, and that’s why for the first time ever, the Lions are the unanimous No. 1 team in every Week 12 power ranking that we track. No more commentary needed, just enjoy being a fan of the best team in football.
MMQB: 1 (Last week: 1)
We’ll begin here to say this: I was happy the Lions throttled the Jaguars over the weekend. When I was reporting out the cover story for this year’s football preview issue in Detroit, the theme of controlling the controllable essentially saved the Lions’ franchise. Wading through the muck can seem so daunting when you consider the entirety of it all…but less so when you just focus on one step. The Lions aren’t worried about a Super Bowl right now, the team put together a plan against Jacksonville; specific plays for Jacksonville. It’s not Detroit’s fault that the Jaguars opted not to show up or stop them.
The Ringer: 1 (Last week: 1)
Detroit has made it clear that it won’t lose focus in the regular season; the team has made quick work of overmatched opponents. On Sunday, Detroit scored on its first eight possessions—including seven touchdowns on the first seven drives—and quarterback Jared Goff nearly had another game in which he threw more touchdowns than incompletions. This Detroit offense can be whatever version of itself it wants to be each week. Sometimes, that means a smashmouth-style, run-heavy offense. Sometimes, that means a beautifully orchestrated dropback passing game. Meanwhile, the defense has smothered one quarterback after another. The Lions and Bills are the only teams in the NFL with a scoring margin better than 100 through 11 weeks, and I’m already excited to see them play each other on December 15 in what looks like the game of the year.
Yahoo Sports: 1 (Last week: 2)
There is a big gap between No. 1 and No. 2. In Jared Goff’s past seven games, he has thrown no interceptions in six of them, and five interceptions in the other one. That was a weird one-off in a torrid stretch that includes Sunday’s perfect 158.3 passer rating.
The Athletic: 1 (Last week: 2)
here’s no better marriage of coach and city than in Detroit where Dan Campbell has been a one-man city revitalization effort. The Lions are 23-7 (including playoffs) since the beginning of last season. They had 38 first downs and outgained the Jaguars by 475 yards Sunday. Detroit has beaten three teams by at least 38 points this season, and its point differential (plus-15.9 per game) is on pace to be second-highest in the NFL since at least 2000 behind only the 2007 Patriots, according to TruMedia. “If people got problems with what we’re doing or complaining about it, they can just come out here and play better football. That’s the only fix to this problem,” cornerback Carlton Davis said.
Sporting News: 1 (Last week: 2)
The Lions got their offense back on track at home with Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, and the running game fueling everything for Jared Goff again. They also have seen their defense improve and make more impact plays with each ensuing game, even without Aidan Hutchinson. The loss of LB Alex Anzalone (arm) for what’s likely to be the rest of the regular season will hurt, though.
CBS Sports: 1 (Last week: 2)
They abused the Jaguars on Sunday to get the offense back on track. They are rolling as the top seed in the NFC.
The 33rd team: 1 (Last week: 2)
For the first time all season, there is a new No. 1 team in the NFL. The Detroit Lions are nearly unstoppable on offense, as Jared Goff had another fantastic outing against the Jaguars.
They are averaging a whopping 33.6 points per game this year and have a top-five scoring defense. This team is 100 percent for real and should be a heavy favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
USA Today: 1 (Last week: 2)
With K.C. finally falling from the ranks of the unbeaten – flimsy as the champs’ “perfection” was – there’s no more denying Motown is currently the epicenter of the NFL universe. The Lions’ +159 point differential is more than 50 clear of anyone else. Their 46-point win over Jacksonville on Sunday was the largest in the franchise’s 95-season history, and the 645 yards gained were also Detroit’s most ever. They’re only the third team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to win three of their first 10 games by at least 35 points and the second since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to score at least 50 points in back-to-back home games. Good luck, Indy.
Still to come:
NFL.com: TBD (Last week: 1)
From Eric Edholm:
