Week 5 Power Rankings

USA Today (4. Lions (11): Admittedly lofty for 2-1-1 team. But over last three weeks, they've beaten two heavyweights (Chargers, Eagles) and, arguably, outplayed K.C. Will bye week stem that momentum?):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/10/01/week-4-nfl-power-rankings-cowboys-saints-lions-ravens/3826078002/

Walterfootball (7. Lions:  Underrated NFL Team: See why the Lions are an overrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.):  http://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php

SI (10. Detroit Lions, 2-1-1 (14):  The Lions are the quietest and weirdest of the undefeated teams. They would be 3-0 if not for their confusing meltdown against the Cardinals, but they showed us real mettle with Matt Patricia in taking down the Chargers and Eagles back-to-back. The Packers might need to sweat this team in the division.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/10/01/power-rankings-week-5-chiefs-saints-eagles-bears

Freep (10. Lions (2-1-1):  Believe it. There’s a lot of parity in the NFL, but the Lions are legitimate playoff contenders.):   https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2019/10/01/nfl-power-rankings-detroit-lions-move-up/3827036002/

Touchdown Wire Doug Farrar (11. Lions:  This is a sneaky team that doesn’t get enough credit. Matthew Stafford sliced through Kansas City’s defense for three touchdown passes and several more scoring opportunities in a 34-30 loss, and Detroit’s defense had an excellent plan to stop Patrick Mahomes with aggressive man-and-match coverage. Were it not for an obvious missed holding call on defensive tackle Damon Harrison on the game-deciding touchdown, the Lions could (and probably should) have won this game. Kansas City’s last-second victory was a disappointment for Matt Patricia’s squad, but it doesn’t negate the Lions’ potential on both sides of the ball. They’ve got a bye week to get over it before a crucial stop at Green Bay, and they’ll then welcome the Vikings to Ford Field.):  https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2019/09/30/nfl-week-5-power-rankings-teams-winning-ugly-stay-on-top/4/

FTW Power Rankings (11. Lions):  https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/10/nfl-power-rankings-week-2-patriots-chiefs-cowboys-buccaneers-falcons-dolphins

CBS (12. Lions):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/powerrankings/

MLive (No. 12 -- Detroit Lions (2-1-1): The Lions took Kansas City to the wire, but couldn’t hold off Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense in the 34-30 loss. Detroit heads into the bye week at an opportune time with Matthew Stafford, Darius Slay, Quandre Diggs and T.J. Hockenson banged up. Week 5: BYE):   https://www.mlive.com/lions/2019/10/mlives-week-5-nfl-power-rankings-lions-stay-in-top-half-after-hanging-with-elite-chiefs-team.html

AP Pro32 (12. Lions):  https://pro32.ap.org/poll

NFL (13. Lions:  The Lions were forced to settle for a moral victory on Sunday when it could have been so much more. Matt Patricia's team had a three-point lead with less than two minutes to play when Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a first down on fourth-and-8 to keep the Chiefs alive. Kansas City would finish off the drive with a touchdown, marking the last of five lead changes in the second half. Final possession aside, the Lions' defense did a great job all afternoon of putting pressure on Mahomes, who was held without a touchdown pass for only the fourth time in his career (including playoffs). Kerryon Johnson ran for 125 yards and Matthew Stafford threw for nearly 300 yards with three touchdowns, with two of those scores going to Kenny Golladay ... and it still wasn't enough. A tough loss to swallow, but Detroit showed it can hang with anybody on a good day.):  http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001061026/article/nfl-power-rankings-week-5-saints-reenter-top-3-rams-slide

SN (14. Lions 2-1-1 (14):  The Lions were impressive in pushing the Chiefs at home, but they are still making critical mistakes as a forced running team. They could benefit from opening things up with Matthew Stafford.):  https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/list/nfl-power-rankings-week-5-update/ugmh37fwcd521l9gk4n2nsq34

PFT Power Rankings (14. Lions (2-1-1; No. 19): They had an elite team on the ropes; next time, the Lions need to punch them through.):  https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/10/01/pfts-week-five-power-rankings-2/

ESPN (15. Detroit Lions (2-1-1) - How to increase their playoff chances: Fixing the pass rush. One of Detroit's biggest perceived strengths entering the season was its defensive line -- a group that has been hurt by injuries (Da'Shawn Hand, Mike Daniels) and that has three sacks combined. Some of the pressure is instead coming from linebackers, as Devon Kennard has three sacks, but the Lions need more pressure up front. With a secondary that might be among the league's best when healthy and an offense creeping toward balance, a pass rush could make Detroit one of the tougher teams in the NFC and vault it to a playoff berth in the league's most difficult division. -- Michael Rothstein):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27729225/week-5-nfl-power-rankings-1-32-poll-plus-how-improve-playoff-chances

Yahoo (18. Detroit Lions (2-1-1, LW: 16):  Sunday should have been a highlight day in Matthew Stafford’s career. He did everything he could, even playing through injury. He had 291 yards, three touchdowns and a 118.6 rating. He led a go-ahead scoring drive in the final three minutes. He had nothing to do with the Chiefs scoring 34 points, or a goal-line fumble that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown. That’s why assigning a quarterback an individual record is foolish.):  https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-adam-thielen-was-right-about-problems-with-kirk-cousins-and-vikings-041544415.html

PFF (23. DETROIT LIONS: The Lions officially lost to the Chiefs at home, but it was ultimately fluky plays that felled them, like a 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Matthew Stafford has taken to Darrell Bevell’s offense, posting positive EPA in every game this season. The team’s season could turn based on results the next two weeks, facing division rivals Packers and Vikings back-to-back.):  https://www.pff.com/news/pro-2019-pff-week-5-nfl-power-rankings

Average Power Ranking (186/15):  12