The Detroit Lions are 9-4 on the season, which is the sixth-best record in the NFL. They lead the NFC North by two games and have a 99% chance of making the playoffs.
Despite this, they’ve played five close games since their bye week, going 3-2, and appear to have deteriorated in some areas. This hard period has caused a loss of confidence among some elements of the fan base as well as some national commentators, as shown in this week’s national power rankings.
After a loss, things may seem bleak, but when you look at the long picture, every national analyst feels Detroit is still a top-10 team in the NFL right now. While the Lions will undoubtedly need to make some adjustments in the remaining four games, the work they put in early in the season has put them in a position to weather a slump.
So the question now is, can Detroit make the necessary changes to resolve their issue within the next month? Lions head coach Dan Campbell thinks so.
“Here is the most encouraging thing about what happened yesterday,” Campbell remarked on Monday. “Some of our best players on the team did not perform well, which is encouraging going into this one because those are proud guys and those are our dudes.” And believe me, when those individuals return, they will be at their best, just as we will be as coaches. And I know what sort of locker room we have, what kind of guys we have, and how we will respond. We will reply.”
With everything out of the way, let’s take a closer look at this week’s national power rankings to see where the Lions placed on each ranker’s list.
MMQB: 6 (Last week: 4)
From Connor Orr:
“You could argue that the Lions’ margin of victory has been narrow of late, and that they have been significantly taxed since their Week 9 bye.” Detroit defeated the hapless Chargers and rallied against the Bears before falling to the Packers (and nearly collapsing against the Saints). Personally, I believe the Bears’ loss is a holdover from a few weeks ago. Matt Eberflus, the Bears’ head coach, can call a successful game and has the personnel to match up well against what the Lions do well (despite the fact that both of Detroit’s main backs gained more than six yards per rush in this game). This Broncos game is taking place at an exciting time. If the Lions continue to sleepwalk, they will be annihilated.”
ESPN: 6 (Last week: 6)
From ESPN staff, excerpt from Eric Woodyard:
“Biggest improvement: Red zone efficiency
“The Lions’ offense can score with the best of them, ranking in the top 10 in scoring for the past two seasons, but it wasn’t the best at capitalizing in the red zone to start the season. Through Week 9, Detroit’s red zone efficiency (48.1%) was in the bottom tier of the league, tied with the Texans for 24th. But in their five games after the Week 9 bye week, the Lions have the fifth-best red zone efficiency (72.2%), with the running back tandem of rookie Jahmyr Gibbs and veteran David Montgomery thriving in the backfield.”
The Ringer: 9 (Last week: 8)
From The Ringer collective staff, excerpt from Austin Gayle:
“Since their bye in Week 9, the Lions are 3-2 with a minus-9 point differential.” During that time, quarterback Jared Goff has the most turnovers in the league with eight, and the Detroit defense is 29th in points allowed per game. And this while facing the Bears twice, the Packers, the Saints, and the Chargers. There isn’t a single one of those teams with a winning record! The Lions may be a playoff club, but they won’t do much damage once there if they keep playing as they have in recent weeks.”
