The Kansas City Chiefs won in overtime on Monday Night Football, becoming the only undefeated team in the league. The Detroit Lions are the only team in all of football with a losing streak. The debate over which team is truly the best team in football rages on, but it’s slipping away given the Chiefs’ struggles on national television against the depleted Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You can see that.
Ever since Detroit’s debacle against the same Buccaneers, they have taken care of business and run it to the hilt. From Week 3 to date, Detroit has outscored opponents 216-108, has the third-best offense in EPA/play, the second-best defense in EPA/play, and ranks first in DVOA. This is the team.
So it’s no wonder Detroit continues to convert some writers as the best team in the league when looking at the Week 10 NFL Power Rankings. Of the nine faction rankings we analyze each week, a majority (five) have the Lions in the top spot. The most notable convert this week was Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports, whose entire intro was about Detroit being the best team in the league.
Oh, and almost all of these rankings were released before the Za’Darius Smith trade.
Here are all the power rankings for this week:
MMQB: 1 (Last week: 1)
From Conor Orr:
Full opinion on the Lions can be found here. My TL;DR point: This team has survived just about everything right now. They bounced back from a mid-game Goff-esque slump. They recovered from season-altering injuries. They bounced back from the weight of the hype and now their second-best defenseman being ejected from the game. Because the NFL likes to look like a good babysitter when parents are watching. They have won in countless ways. They know who they are from a very personal place and are not afraid to be those people. It’s so fun to watch it all happen.
Ringtones: 1 (Last week: 1)
From Deante Lee:
When it became clear that bad weather would be an issue for Sunday’s premier game between the Lions and Packers, I ended this weekend with the same topic: whether quarterback Jared Goff can win big games in a short period of time. I was worried that it might happen. ideal situation. It’s a testament to how strong Detroit’s offensive infrastructure is that Goff didn’t have to do much in this game other than safely distributing the ball on early downs to keep his team on track. It tells the story.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson relied on a one-two punch in the backfield, allowing David Montgomery to beat the Packers between the tackles and set up Jahmil Gibbs’ explosive run. Two divisional opponents, Green Bay and Minnesota, rely on pressure and turnovers to shake up opposing offenses, but Goff completed more than 80 percent of his passes without giving up. This shows there is elite synergy between quarterback and coordinator. Even without Aidan Hutchinson, I don’t know how anyone will beat this team, which boasts a strong offense and solid defense.
Athletic: 1 (Last week: 1)
From Josh Kendall:
Okay, Amon-Ra St. Brown’s sweatshirt wasn’t great, but this one, which mixes an “us against the world” attitude with Dan Campbell’s Mensa Meathead whimsy, has the power to create magic with deadly force. It would be hard to dislike the Lions. The Lions lead the league in points scored (32.25) and are fifth in points scored (18.5). In the last six games, Detroit has scored more touchdowns (28) than touchdowns (24).
NFL.com: 1 (Last week: 1)
From Eric Edholm:
The Lions improved to 7-1 with a blowout win over the rival Packers, and improved to 2-0 against their two major NFC North rivals (Green Bay and Minnesota), with both wins on the horizon. They have allowed a total of 65 points in four road games, three of which were against teams currently in the playoff mix. The defense has been solid despite missing the injured Aidan Hutchinson for the past three games, and now they have some pass-rushing help coming in in the form of trade acquisition Za’Darius Smith. Offensively, the Lions scored 76 points despite receiver Jameson Williams being suspended for the past two games, but the defense and special teams also deserve some credit for that total. The rest of the schedule hasn’t been easy, but Detroit has won both indoors and outdoors, with Sunday’s W being played in freezing rain. This group is built to win in a variety of ways, and few teams in this league have the ability to respond.
Yahoo Sports: 1 (Last week: 2)
From Frank Schwab:
The Lions only lost one game, but it was a ragged loss in which they outscored the Buccaneers by 463-216 yards. Detroit has road wins over the Vikings and Packers, the division’s biggest rival and two of the best teams in the NFL. The Lions’ DVOA rankings after Sunday night’s game speak for themselves: No. 1 overall, No. 3 on offense, No. 4 on defense and No. 1 on special teams. It also passes the numerical test and the visual acuity test. They look dominant and can win matches in different ways. Sunday’s win over the Packers was a statement to the rest of the NFL. It took a long time, but the Lions have a real chance to win the Super Bowl. They are the best team in the NFL right now.
Sports News: 2 (Last week: 2)
From Vinnie Iyer:
The Lions released their NFC North statement and then took to Lambeau Field to deliver all-around pounding against the Packers. They continue to be a winning team in the conference.
CBS Sports: 2 (Last week: 2)
From Pete Prisco:
This team is the best team in the NFC as Jared Goff continues to play perfect football. Does the ball ever hit the ground when he’s throwing these days?
33rd team: 2 people (last week: 2 people)
From Marcus Mosher:
The Detroit Lions won on Sunday. Not only did they prove they can win outdoors, they also proved they are the team to beat the rest of the NFC this year.
It was a blowout win against the Packers, but the offense didn’t even play its best game. If the Lions can secure home-field advantage through the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine anyone making it to Detroit this year and winning.
USA Today: 2 (Last week: 2)
From Nate Davis:
There is no replacement for injured DE Aidan Hutchinson. But will the NFC leaders add someone, perhaps DE Za’Darius Smith, as a temporary patch before the deadline expires? But given how well this multi-pronged attack is working, that may not be all that important. QB Jared Goff and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown haven’t missed a connection since Week 3, hooking up on targets 30 times in a row, tied for the longest by a wideout since 2016.
