As analysts try to find their footing with early season NFL power rankings, the Lions jumped back into the top 5 in most’s opinions, following their win in Arizona.
In this week’s power rankings roundup, the Detroit Lions got back to their winning ways and moved up in the majority of analysts’ minds. But early season NFL can be challenging to predict. Good teams can struggle, while bad teams can thrive, and water has yet to find its level.
For example, it’s not surprising that the Chiefs and Bills are sitting at 3-0, but who predicted a Justin Fields-led Steelers or Sam Darnold-led Vikings team would also still be undefeated? By that same token, few would have predicted that the 49ers would be 1-2, while the Bengals are winless at 0-3.
In the NFC North, the Lions, Vikings, and Packers all landed in the top 10 of every ranking—save one, where the Packers were ranked 12th—while the Bears only escaped landing in the 20s in CBS’s power rankings, where they were 18th in the rankings. Seven of the nine rankings we follow still have the Lions as a top-five team, but even then, analysts appear to still be trying to figure things out.
Let’s take a look at this week’s rankings:
The Ringer: 3 (Last week: 4)
After an awful showing against Tampa Bay in Week 2, it looks like this offense remembered what it does best, and that’s punishing defenses with the run game. Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 188 yards against Arizona in Week 3, and the Lions need to maintain this approach. The more (and better) the Lions run, the better they are at mitigating Jared Goff’s impact on the offense’s rhythm, and that should help him find the favorable looks he needs to successfully push the ball downfield.
Yahoo Sports: 3 (Last week: 5)
Sunday’s win vs. the Cardinals was costly for the Lions. They lost defensive end Marcus Davenport for the season with an elbow injury and center Frank Ragnow will miss time with a pectoral injury. Ragnow is a huge part of the Lions’ stellar offensive line and Aidan Hutchinson will get more attention without Davenport on the other side.
The Athletic: 3 (Last week: 6)
We’ve wondered about this for a while. Watch the play below and you will, too. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught seven passes for 75 yards Sunday, one of which he flipped back to Jahmyr Gibbs for a 21-yard touchdown. It was beautiful. It resulted in a touchdown with less than 30 seconds left in the half, and the day’s weirdest stat line: Gibbs, zero targets, zero catches, 20 receiving yards and a 21-yard receiving touchdown.
MMQB: 4 (Last week: 3)
Through three weeks, the Lions have looked alternately fierce and surprisingly beatable. I wonder what would have happened if Jared Goff’s pick six would not have been blown dead. Having watched it numerous times, the ball is clearly in motion before the two minute warning and I think Cardinals fans have some grounds for a grievance. If you want answers directly from the officiating crew, here’s a pool report. While I can see the crew’s point—the first time I watched it I wondered what everyone was complaining about because I thought I saw the clock hit zero before the snap—a second review clearly shows a second still on the clock. Human error is fun when there’s not so much gambling involved!
USA Today: 4 (Last week: 5)
DE Aidan Hutchinson is still on fire, (prematurely) paced toward 37 sacks. His team will need that kind of pressure against this week’s opponent, Seattle, which has beaten the Lions six straight times – the average score of the past three meetings 45-35.
NFL.com: 4 (Last week: 5)
Jared Goff played a cleaner game Sunday, but he still threw a regrettable interception that kept the Cardinals in it. That’s now four picks in three outings for Goff, and he could have had another — a pick-six, no less — late in the second quarter had the referees not blown the play dead just ahead of the two-minute warning. He also took a pair of sacks, both of which he appeared to walk himself into (including one vs. a three-man rush). Goff was more accurate this time out, completing 18 of his 23 passes despite Sam LaPorta missing most of the second half and Jameson Williams having a quiet game. The hook-and-ladder play was a reminder that this offense still is juicy and fun. But Sunday’s victory had as much to do with Detroit’s defense stepping up in a big way. There were still a few coverage slip-ups, but the pressure and tackling were strong all game.
The 33rd team: 5 (Last week: 5)
The Detroit Lions haven’t been as dangerous on offense this year as expected, but the defense showed up in a big way on Sunday. They allowed just 13 points to the Cardinals in Arizona and allowed 277 yards of offense.
Detroit’s offense will eventually start to click, but it’s encouraging to see the defense playing this well early in the year.
Sporting News: 6 (Last week: 8)
The Lions flexed more defensively when needed in Arizona to help a slumping Jared Goff, and they also re-established their dominance in the running game. That familiar formula for Dan Campbell helped Detroit look more like last year’s NFC runner-up.
CBS Sports: 10 (Last week: 11)
After losing to the Bucs, they bounced back against the Cardinals with a victory. But they still don’t quite look like the team we expect to see.
