Nfl Week 10 Power Rankings: Despite 4 Straight Wins, Detroit Lions Sit Behind Nfc North Rivals

The Detroit Lions (6-2) have now won four in a row, are 2-0 in the division with wins over the Packers and Vikings, and sit in second place in the NFC North, just a half-game back of the Chicago Bears. For the first time this season, the Lions rank in the top 10 of every national power ranking that we track.

But it’s not all sunshine and roses in the Lions’ relationship with the national media. Of the eight rankings we track, the Lions dropped this week in over half of them. Even more surprising, they dropped behind the Packers in two (Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated) and remain behind the Vikings in two others (Sporting News and ESPN)—despite having the same (Vikings) or better (Packers) record—and winning both head-to-head matchups.

Let’s take a closer look at this week’s national power rankings.

Sports Illustrated: 6 (Previous rank: 4)

From Connor Orr:

Having spent time in Buffalo after Damar Hamlin’s near-death experience in a Bills-Bengals game, I can still only begin to fathom the heaviness this Lions team is dealing with on a daily basis in the aftermath of the Jack Campbell injury. It makes the Dolphins victory feel very different… and somehow more amazing. 

USA Today: 6 (Previous rank: 7)

From Nate Davis:

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown hasn’t scored since September and only has two 100-yard receiving games this season. Think the German-American star might break out Sunday in Munich − especially given how the Pats secondary just got shredded?

NFL.com: 7 (Previous rank: 5)

From Nick Shook:

Sunday’s victory wasn’t pretty by any means, but sometimes a team needs to find a way to win an ugly one. The Lions did that in Miami, getting just enough from Jahmyr Gibbs to leave with a W. That’s what I’d expect from a team in the top 10, but I’m hoping this was an informative experience to grow from, not a harbinger of things to come.

The Athletic: 8 (Previous rank: 7)

From Chad Graff and Josh Kendall:

It hasn’t always looked pretty (including in Miami on Sunday), and the underlying defensive stats (they rank 30th in EPA per play) remain concerning. But the offense has been among the game’s best as they now head abroad to face the reeling New England defense.

CBS Sports: 8 (Previous rank: 9)

From Pete Prisco:

It wasn’t pretty against the Dolphins, but they found a way. They can’t play that way this week against a wounded Patriots team or else.

Yahoo Sports: 9 (Previous rank: 8)

From Frank Schwab:

Is the Lions’ defense good? It has been better recently. For the third straight game the Lions’ opponent failed to top 17 points. Two of those games happened against the offensively challenged Vikings and Dolphins; the third game in that streak was against the Packers. Advanced metrics are kind to the Lions’ defense over the past three weeks too, as Detroit is eighth in EPA per play allowed and fifth in success rate allowed. Star safety Brian Branch returned from an Achilles injury three games ago, and it’s not a coincidence the Lions’ defense is much better with him back. The Lions have held opponents to 21 or fewer points in four straight games, the first time that has happened since 2016, according to the team’s site.

The Lions allowed just 228 yards and 12 first downs Sunday, and while that was against Miami, it’s still a lot better than Detroit looked on defense early in the season.

“We’ve cleaned a lot up,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said, via the team’s site. “Guys are trusting what they’re being taught, they’re executing it and with that execution comes confidence.”

ESPN: 10 (Previous rank: 9)

From ESPN Staff, excerpt from Eric Woodyard:

International games are rare for the Lions, who haven’t played outside the U.S. since 2015. And this matchup in Munich is a homecoming of sorts for WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose mother is German and who has spent considerable time in the country. This contest also marks Detroit’s first game in Germany and the first time it is the designated home team for an international game, so this is certainly a huge deal. “You kind of need that extra story to tell,” NFL Germany GM Alexander Steinforth told ESPN. “You need that extra link into the market to have a really meaningful impact, and that’s Amon-Ra St. Brown.” 

Sporting News: 10 (Previous rank: 11)

From Vinnie Iyer:

The Lions’ once-maligned defense has allowed only a total of 62 points during their four-game winning streak. They will get a good test against the Patriots in Munich, Germany, in Week 10, where Jared Goff needs to shake off back-to-back sub 200-yard, one-INT games.