Getty Marvin Jones hauls in a pass in Green Bay.
The Detroit Lions suffered a brutal loss at the hands of the Green Bay Packers and arguably the officials, and that was a big talking point as the power rankings push through another week of the season.
Most analysts were content to give the Lions a pass for the loss, which came under tough circumstances given some of the things which played out on the field in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Lions didn’t move down much if at all in most rankings for the debacle.
Here’s a look at how the rankings stack up after another emotional week on the field for Detroit.
NFL.com (Dan Hanzus)
Last week: 13th
This week: 13th
Hanzus doesn’t move the Lions anywhere in spite of the loss to the Packers, and even admits that the Lions and their fans have major reasons to feel upset after the calls played out against the team in Green Bay. As Hanzus said, the Lions have proven they can play with any team right now, but must find a way to start to get over the hump. It’s tough to disagree.
ESPN
Last week: 16th
This week: 17th
ESPN moves the Lions back only one spot, and this week, choose to focus on the biggest problems of every team on the ranking list. When it comes to Detroit, run defense is picked out as the top concern. Detroit has not been as good this season as they were late last year, which is frustrating. They have also missed names like Mike Daniels and Da’Shawn Hand up front, putting some of the struggles in context. Still, the site thinks that the Lions have to tighten things up on the ground in order to improve.
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CBS Sports (Pete Prisco)
Last week: 16th
This week: 14th
Prisco was frustrated by the loss from a Lions perspective, but actually moves the team up a few spots in his rankings. As he said, the loss stings and hurts, but the Lions showed they are true playoff contenders in hanging with the Packers. At 2-2-1, Detroit will have to grab some wins quickly and turn things around for that to remain the case, but there is at the very least hope, as Prisco says.
Sports Illustrated (MMQB)
Last week: 10th
This week: 12th
Another modest move down from a media outlet, this time SI. As they say, the loss was a brutal one for the Lions even as it was aided by the referees. What lies ahead, though, is also important. According to this ranking site, the Detroit game against Minnesota may be crucial to the season. Indeed, if the Lions are able to pull out a win there, it will make everyone feel plenty better about the trajectory of things in 2019 and perhaps give the team a leg up for the postseason.
Yahoo! Sports (Frank Schwab)
Last week: 18th
This week: 18th
No movement here for the Lions in Schwab’s poll as he says that the team has the right to feel salty about the officiating from their last game. He also refers to the officiating as “really bad” in the piece. That’s fair, and also fair not to move Detroit around at all in the rankings as a result of such a loss.
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