After a stunning Monday night outcome with the Seahawks upsetting the Eagles, Week 15 ended with some real potential for movement in the NFL power polls. The Detroit Lions were poised to jump up after hammering the Broncos 42-17, improving to 10-4 and getting there by pounding a team with a winning record.
Despite the big win, there wasn’t a lot of upward movement for the Lions. Detroit sits firmly in the middle realms of the top 10 teams in most power polls.
Detroit’s highest ranking comes from Sporting News, where the Lions are fourth overall. Analyst Vinnie Iyer noted,
The Lions got back on track at home on Saturday with the elite running game plowing through a porous Broncos un defense. That returning development also resettled Jared Goff at home to play well and inspired the defense. They can now feel better about their playoff dangerous status as soon-to-be new division champions.
The Lions vaulted up to No. 5 at Yahoo Sports, which was shared from Broncos Wire. At The Athletic, the Lions bumped up a spot to No. 7 after the win over the Broncos.
Oddly enough, Detroit fell a spot to No. 8 in the USA TODAY power poll. They’re a spot behind the Cowboys, who got annihilated 31-10 by a Buffalo team that isn’t currently qualified for the AFC postseason. The Eagles, losers of three in a row, actually moved up a spot to No. 3.
