Week 2 Power Rankings

MLive (No. 20 -- Detroit Lions (0-0-1): The Detroit Lions blew an 18-point fourth-quarter lead to a rookie quarterback and first-year head coach. While they didn’t lose, a tie in these circumstances doesn’t feel like anything close to a win. With all that said, Matthew Stafford had a great game while T.J. Hockenson looked like a budding star. Stafford completed 27 of 45 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns. Hockenson had six catches for 131 yards and one touchdown, which is the most receiving yards ever in a tight end’s debut. Week 2: vs. Chargers):  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2019/09/mlives-week-2-nfl-power-rankings-lions-featured-in-back-half-after-27-27-tie.html

ESPN (21. Detroit Lions (0-0-1) - Rookie who flashed: T.J. Hockenson, TE.  How the newcomer starred: Hockenson set a rookie record for yards from a tight end in his debut with a six-catch, 131-yard, one-touchdown effort against Arizona. While it's usually hard for tight ends to acclimate to the NFL, this is a continuation of what Detroit saw all camp long. Hockenson was a playmaker throughout the spring and preseason and it continued Sunday, when he had close to 100 people who traveled to Arizona to watch his first-ever NFL regular-season game. -- Michael Rothstein):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27569994/week-2-nfl-power-rankings-1-32-poll-plus-best-rookie-team

Walterfootball (22. Lions:  Detroit Lions (0-0-1) - Previously: 23.  How the hell did the Lions blow a 24-6 lead? Kyler Murray absolutely shredded their defense in the fourth quarter after looking like a major bust through three frames. I guess the silver lining, outside of T.J. Hockenson resembling Rob Gronkowski, is that the Lions didn't actually lose. However, they have to fly back from the West Coast after a grueling overtime game, so they could be exhausted and deflated for their Week 2 matchup.):  http://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php

Freep (23. Lions (0-0-1):  If the Lions can't beat a rookie coach and rookie quarterback with an 18-point fourth-quarter lead, they might be in for a long year.):   https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2019/09/10/nfl-week-2-power-rankings-birkett/2276278001/

Yahoo (24. Detroit Lions (0-0-1, LW: 25):  The Lions scored early in the fourth quarter to take a 24-6 lead. It takes a lot of effort to blow a game after taking a lead like that, especially against a rookie head coach and rookie quarterback making their debuts. If you still believe Matt Patricia is the right coach for the Lions, the appropriate follow-up question is, why?):  https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-with-antonio-brown-when-might-the-patriots-lose-a-game-052428588.html

SI (24. Lions:  Embarrassing collapse in Arizona, complete with brain-cramp clock management, didn’t do much for Matt Patricia’s reputation.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/09/10/nfl-power-rankings-week-2-2019-patriots-vikings-ravens-dolphins

SN (24. Detroit Lions, 0-0-1 (25):  The tie makes us feel confused about where to put Matt Patricia's team, but the Lions did show nice upgrades, and the result was much better than the blowout loss in Week 1 against the Jets last season. The Lions will have a hard time competing in the NFC North, however, if they can't finish off bad teams.):  https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-power-rankings-cowboys-packers-bears-steelers-browns-week-2/s7tjmr2l52gjzdei5oxagz3s

FTW Power Rankings (24. Lions):  https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/09/nfl-power-rankings-week-1-raiders-patriots-ravens-titans-jaguars

CBS (25. Lions):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-2-power-rankings-patriots-back-at-no-1-ravens-climb-into-top-10-browns-tumble/

PFF (25. DETROIT LIONS:  Blowing an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter to come away with a tie leaves Lions’ fans in bitterness, but per our grades, the Lions should have actually lost the game. At least they’ve seen an impressive debut from T.J. Hockenson. The Iowa standout played 36 receiving snaps and earned a whopping 164 air yards on nine targets, producing 3.45 receiving yards per route run. That’s worth an 84.7 receiving grade in our books.):  https://www.pff.com/news/pro-2019-pff-week-2-nfl-power-rankings

Touchdown Wire Doug Farrar (26. Lions:  The Lions started the 2019 season out hot, with a 24-6 lead over the Cardinals early into fourth quarter. But then, Detroit’s man-heavy coverages fell apart as Kyler Murray started to find his feet, leading to a crazy Cardinals comeback and a 27-27 tie. Had Cardinals defensive back Trumaine Brock not dropped what should have been a Matthew Stafford interception in overtime, the Lions might have been on the wrong end of a highly embarrassing defeat, as opposed to a tie. But the tactical decisions put forth by head coach Matt Patricia and his staff have to be worrisome, and they took the wind out of rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson’s record performance — Hockenson’s 131 receiving yards were the most ever for a tight end in his NFL debut.):  https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2019/09/10/nfl-week-2-power-rankings-who-will-take-down-the-patriots/

NFL (27. Lions:  Yes, a tie is better than a loss ... but this was still pretty damn bad. The Lions allowed the Cardinals to score 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, turning a sure win into a deeply unsatisfying push. This was a win the Lions needed, with the Chargers, Eagles, Chiefs and Packers next on deck. The fourth-quarter meltdown was a team effort, as the offense got too conservative and the defense suddenly lost itself. The biggest positive of Week 1? The Lions appear to have hit on their first-round pick. Tight end T.J. Hockenson went off for 6/131/1 in his debut, putting up the most yardage by any tight end in his debut since the NFL-AFL merger. Stafford's been without a legit playmaker on offense since Calvin Johnson walked away after the 2015 season -- Hockenson has the potential to fill that void.):  http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001053354/article/nfl-power-rankings-week-2-packers-vikings-rise-browns-fall

USA Today (27. Lions (26): OLB Devon Kennard (league-best 3 sacks in opener) quietly becoming nice player under Matt Patricia. Too bad his effort didn't translate to a W.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/09/10/week-1-nfl-power-rankings-chiefs-patriots-ravens/2269848001/

PFT Power Rankings (27. Lions (0-0-1; No. 25): They say a tie is like kissing your sister. For the Lions, that tie was like getting your ass kicked by your little brother whose feet still dangle when he’s sitting on the toilet.):  https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/09/10/pfts-week-two-power-rankings-2/

AP Pro32 (28. Lions):  https://pro32.ap.org/poll

Average Power Ranking (367/15):  24