After another convincing win, the Detroit Lions are now the No. 1 team in the majority of our NFL power rankings roundup.
With the Kansas City Chiefs’ narrow overtime victory on “Monday Night Football” they remain the league’s only undefeated team. The Detroit Lions are the only team in football with just a singular loss on their record. The debate on which team is truly the best team in football rages on, but given the Chiefs’ struggles against a depleted Tampa Bay Buccaneers team on national TV, you can sense the conversation sliding.
Ever since Detroit’s slip-up against those same Buccaneers, they have taken care of business and done so thoroughly. From Week 3 until now, Detroit has outscored their opponents 216-108, they have the third-best offense by EPA/play, the second-best defense by EPA/play, and are the No. 1 ranked team in DVOA.
So looking around the Week 10 NFL power rankings, it’s no surprise that Detroit continues to convert some writers that they’re the league’s best team. Out of the nine power rankings that we dissect every week, there is now a majority (five) who have the Lions in the top spot. This week’s most notable convert was Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports, whose entire intro is about Detroit being the league’s best team.
Oh, and nearly all of these rankings came out before the trade for Za’Darius Smith.
Here’s a look at all the power rankings from this week:
MMQB: 1 (Last week: 1)
Full thoughts on the Lions here. My TL;DR point: this team has now survived almost everything. They have recovered from a Goff-ian dip in the middle of a game; they have recovered from season-altering injury; they have recovered from the crippling weight of hype and now they have recovered from their second-best defensive player getting tossed out of a game because the NFL likes to look like a good babysitter when the parents are watching. They have won in myriad ways. They know who they are from a deeply personal place and aren’t afraid to be those people. It’s quite fun to see it all happening.
The Ringer: 1 (Last week: 1)
When it became clear that inclement weather would be an issue in Sunday’s premier matchup between the Lions and Packers, I was concerned that we’d come out of this weekend with the same talking points about whether quarterback Jared Goff could win big games in less than ideal circumstances. That the game didn’t require Goff to do much outside of distributing the ball safely on early downs to keep this team on schedule speaks to how strong the offensive infrastructure is in Detroit.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson leaned on his one-two punch in the backfield, allowing David Montgomery to batter the Packers in between the tackles to set up Jahmyr Gibbs’s explosive runs. Against two divisional opponents in Green Bay and Minnesota that rely on pressure and turnovers to rattle opposing offenses, Goff has completed over 80 percent of his passes without giving it away; that tells you there’s an elite synergy between quarterback and coordinator. With this machine of an offense and the defense remaining stable in Aidan Hutchinson’s absence, I don’t know how anyone beats this team.
The Athletic: 1 (Last week: 1)
OK, so Amon-Ra St. Brown’s sweatshirt wasn’t nice, but it’s hard to dislike these Lions, who have mixed an Us Against the World attitude with Dan Campbell’s Mensa Meathead schtick with a frightening offense to make magic. The Lions lead the league in scoring (32.25) and are fifth in scoring defense (18.5). In the last six games, Detroit has more touchdowns (28) than incompletions (24).
NFL.com: 1 (Last week: 1)
The Lions moved to 7-1 with a statement victory over the rival Packers, boosting their record against their two main competitors in the NFC North (Green Bay and Minnesota) to 2-0, with both wins coming on the road. They’ve allowed a total of 65 points over four road games, three of which were against teams currently in the playoff mix. Despite missing the injured Aidan Hutchinson over the past three games, the defense has held strong — and now pass-rush help is on the way in the form of trade acquisition Za’Darius Smith. Offensively, even with receiver Jameson Williams being suspended for the past two games, the Lions scored 76 points, though the defense and special teams deserve some credit for that total, too. The remaining schedule is by no means a cakewalk, but Detroit has triumphed indoors and outdoors, with Sunday’s W coming in the cold rain. This group is built to win in several different ways, and it’s one that few teams in this league are equipped to handle.
Yahoo Sports: 1 (Last week: 2)
The Lions have one loss, and it was a fluky defeat when they outgained the Buccaneers 463-216 yards. Detroit has road wins against the Vikings and Packers, its two biggest division rivals and two of the best teams in the NFL. The Lions’ DVOA ranks after Sunday night’s game are telling: first overall, third on offense, fourth on defense, first in special teams. They pass the numbers test and the eye test too. They look dominant, able to win games in a variety of different ways. Sunday’s win over the Packers was a statement to the rest of the NFL. It’s been a long time coming, but the Lions have a real chance to win a Super Bowl. They’re the NFL’s best team right now.
Sporting News: 2 (Last week: 2)
The Lions made an NFC North statement and then some by going into Lambeau Field and coming up with an all-around pounding of the Packers. They remain the team to beat in the conference.
CBS Sports: 2 (Last week: 2)
This is the best team in the NFC as Jared Goff continues to play flawless football. Does the ball ever hit the ground when he’s throwing it these days?
The 33rd team: 2 (Last week: 2)
Sunday was a statement win by the Detroit Lions. Not only did they prove that they could win outdoors, but they also showed the rest of the NFC that they were the team to beat this year.
That was a dominating win against the Packers, and the offense didn’t even play its best game. If the Lions can secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine anyone going into Detroit and winning this year.
USA Today: 2 (Last week: 2)
There’s no replacing injured DE Aidan Hutchinson. But will the NFC’s leaders add someone, maybe DE Za’Darius Smith, as a temporary patch before the deadline expires? Yet maybe it doesn’t matter much given how well this multi-faceted offense is clicking. QB Jared Goff and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown haven’t had a missed connection since Week 3, hooking up on 30 consecutive targets – tied for the longest streak for any wideout since 2016.
