The post-Week 1 power polls are out around the media sphere. Lions fans will typically have to scroll down a little bit less to find Detroit in this week’s listings than they have in quite some time.
Even with the 38-35 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the
USA TODAY elevated the Lions to No. 18 from the preseason spot at 23. Analyst Nate Davis nicely sums up Detroit’s Week 1 experience,
The arrow has been trending up since last season, through “Hard Knocks” and into the opener, when they gave one of the NFC’s best teams all it could handle. Eventually, Detroit has to turn its promise into wins, but don’t be surprised if Dan Campbell’s crew hangs around the playoff picture into January.
Sports Illustrated’s panel of voters also saw improvement in Detroit’s debut. The Lions are now 23rd after starting the season 26th. The team made a similar move at FOX Sports, vaulting from 27th to 24th after Week 1 outcomes from around the league.
At Athlon Sports, Detroit rocked up one spot from 27 to 26 even with the loss. The quality of opponent factored in here.
Not everyone saw things so optimistically for Dan Campbell’s Lions. Detroit actually fell a notch at ESPN in its Week 2 power poll, going from 26th to 27th.
