Winning five times in six games will raise a team’s profile. For the Detroit Lions, the surge upward in the standings is impressive enough to land the team into realms not seen in many years in some current NFL power polls.
The Lions improved to 6-7 by beating the 10-3 Minnesota Vikings, 34-23, in Week 14. The big win over the NFC North leaders propelled the Lions way upward in the Week 15 NFL power poll watch.
Touchdown Wire elevated the Lions all the way into the top 10. Despite the 6-7 overall record, Detroit claims the No. 10 spot.
Last week: No. 13
There is a path to the playoffs for Detroit, but it includes winning out and essentially the New York Giants continuing to lose as the Lions hold the tiebreaker. The Lions will be heavily tested to close out the year as three of their final four games are on the road.
It’s the same story at NFL.com, where the Lions are also sitting in 10th after Week 14.
While they’re not in the top 10, the Lions did surge up to 13th at USA TODAY. Detroit was 18th after Week 13.
The status ranking is still not so high at some other outlets. The Lions sit at No. 17 at both ESPN and The Ringer. Pro Football Talk slots the Lions 15th. The lowest ranking from major outlets comes from CBS Sports, which places Detroit at 18th. The CBS Sports rankings are almost a straight copy-paste from the actual NFL standings.
The Sporting News also places the Lions at No. 17 but gives proper mention to the recent defensive improvement in Detroit,
The Lions have all their key offensive pieces back healthy around Jared Goff and their strong line, and it’s showing with their explosion, especially at home. But it’s really Aidan Hutchinson and the defense that have sparked the big turnaround.
Keep on winning and those top 10s will be a lot more commonplace.
