Here’s a look at where the Detroit Lions stand in the eyes of pundits in this week’s power rankings, after defeating the Green Bay Packers, 34-31.
Sports Illustrated
Power ranking: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
Example No. 374 of the Lions simply shedding problems that have been season-ruiners for other teams and continuing to excel: Dan Skipper started in place of Taylor Decker and allowed…one pressure. One pressure! Is there a bad player on this team?
Also, Dan Skipper rules.
The Athletic
Power ranking: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
Patrick suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2022 preseason. He suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the 2023 preseason. He was cut by the Broncos in the 2024 preseason. And now the Lions have another weapon. Patrick, who began the season on Detroit’s practice squad, caught two touchdowns against the Packers, his first since 2021. “The journey was long, but it was worth it,” he said Thursday. “I’ve won the most games I’ve won in my career. I’ve got like 30 reporters in front of me right now. I’m very blessed and thankful for this team.”
CBS Sports
Power ranking: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
Dan Campbell needs to stop with the fourth-down decisions. This team is too good for that. Now they face a big one with the Bills.
Yahoo Sports
Power ranking: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
The defensive injuries are getting concerning. We can talk and joke about Dan Campbell going for it on fourth-and-1 instead of taking the field goal last Thursday, but in doing so he indicated he didn’t trust his defense to hold Green Bay out of FG range with about only 40 seconds left.
Bleacher Report
Power ranking: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
Fans love Campbell’s kneecap-biting intensity, but there’s a line between intense and reckless—and Campbell crossed it on the one fourth down the Lions didn’t convert. Turning it over on downs at your own 30-yard-line just isn’t smart football. It didn’t cost Detroit in Week 14, but that’s the kind of gaffe that can get you bounced in the postseason. Campbell is who he is, but sometimes you gotta have enough sense to know your first impulse is a bad one.
USA Today
Power ranking: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
Their positioning at the top of the heap feels fairly unassailable – the NFC leaders tied for the league’s best record (12-1), consecutive playoff berths in hand for the first time in 29 years and with the NFL’s largest point differential (+183).
And yet there are the mounting defensive injuries, the potential double-edged sword borne of HC Dan Campbell’s fearless decision making, to say nothing of the fact that Minnesota (11-2) just will not go away – regardless of how overshadowed the Vikings tend to be. Said more succinctly, the Lions are – currently – the best team, but they’re operating in an environment where a hard left turn seems increasingly possible.
ESPN
Power ranking: 1st
Previous ranking: 1st
Detroit’s offense has posted 20-plus points for 11 straight games while averaging a league-high 31 points. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson uses a creative approach to getting the most out of his playmakers, including quarterback Jared Goff, running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, receivers Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown, among others. Detroit also has a point differential of plus-183, which is its highest through the first 13 games of any season in franchise history. This offense has appeared unstoppable at times.
