Week 9 Power Rankings

Walterfootball (11.  Detroit Lions (3-3-1) - Previously: 15.  If you were to tell me a couple of months ago that the Darrell Bevell hire would work so well for Matthew Stafford, I would've never believed you in a million years. I may have even called the local mental ward to have you committed. And yet, that's exactly what has happened. The Lions are 3-3-1, but they're so close to being 6-1 right now.):  http://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php

USA Today (12. Lions (14): Matthew Stafford is quietly having best season of his career, largely because OC Darrell Bevell regularly allows him to cut deep ball loose.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/10/29/week-8-nfl-power-rankings-49-ers-saints-patriots/2493065001/

MLive (No. 14 -- Detroit Lions (3-3-1): The Lions never trailed, generated 23 quarterback pressures and three sacks including a defensive score in their 31-26 win against the Giants. Detroit’s schedule starts to lighten up a bit even with a trip out west up next. Week 9: at Raiders):  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2019/10/mlives-week-9-nfl-power-rankings-detroit-lions-move-up-a-spot-after-beating-giants-31-26.html

SN (15. Lions 3-3-1 (17):  Matthew Stafford keeps playing great, and with the running game stuck with a limited committee and the defense continuing to give up big plays, he needs to. The Lions are looking exactly like the .500 third-place team they are.):  https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-power-rankings-49ers-packers-seahawks-eagles-bears-bills-week-9/9kxeqxqp9k33132osx1n16k6o

Freep (15. Lions (3-3-1):  The Lions are going to need a road win or two the next two weeks or they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.):   https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2019/10/29/nfl-power-rankings-week-9-detroit-lions/2492869001/

SI (15. Detroit Lions, 3-3-1:  Matthew Stafford continues another quietly excellent season for a Lions team that feels better than its record indicates. He logged his best passer rating of the season (129.4) and averaged 10.69 yards per pass attempt against the Giants.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/10/29/nfl-power-rankings-poll-week-9

NFL (16. Lions:  Matthew Stafford isn't getting the national recognition he deserves this season. The Lions quarterback is enjoying one of the best seasons of an underrated career, and we saw him spinning magic again in a 31-26 win over the Giants to snap a three-game losing streak. Stafford completed 25 of 32 passes for 342 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, once again turning Kenny Golladay (six catches, 123 yards, two touchdowns) into his modern-day version of Megatron. Stafford is on pace to set career highs in yards per attempt, touchdown-to-interception ratio and passer rating. The Lions, following the lead of their star quarterback, have now scored 30 points or more three times this season, matching their total over 16 games a year ago. Stafford is doing his best work in the red zone, where he has thrown for 10 touchdowns without an interception. Detroit needs to build a winner around its QB before it's too late.):  http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001071069/article/nfl-power-rankings-week-9-49ers-reclaim-no-2-bears-plunge

CBS (16. Lions):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/powerrankings/

ESPN (16. Detroit Lions (3-3-1) - Flowers already started picking up his game in Sunday's win over the Giants with two sacks, but the Lions didn't give him a five-year, $90 million contract to merely sometimes make plays. He has been hurt, somewhat, by Detroit using three rushers a decent amount at the beginning of the season, but for the Lions to have a better second half, they need more pressure (not necessarily sacks, but at least pressure) from Flowers. Forcing teams to account for him more will open up lanes for Romeo Okwara, Jarrad Davis and Devon Kennard to get to the quarterback even if Flowers doesn't himself. -- Michael Rothstein):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27945498/week-9-nfl-power-rankings-1-32-poll-plus-players-need-step-up

AP Pro32 (16. Lions):  https://pro32.ap.org/poll

Touchdown Wire Doug Farrar (17. Lions:  (3-3-1. Last week: 14):  This season, the Lions have alternated between a team that looks like the toughest hard-luck franchise in the league (when Clete Blakeman’s officiating crew cost them a win over the Packers in Week 6) and a team — especially a defense — that doesn’t exactly know what it’s trying to do. The recent trade of safety Quandre Diggs, which caused severe distress on social media among Diggs’ former Detroit teammates, could have been the end of Matt Patricia’s team as a functional unit. Not that the Lions’ man-based coverage always did an optimal job against the Giants in a 31-26 win — rookie Daniel Jones doubled his previous career high with four touchdown passes — but Detroit’s offense understood that Big Blue’s secondary would be even easier pickings. If the Lions want to be anything more than a curiosity in the second half of the season, they’d better get over recent coverage busts and revert to the disciplined group seen earlier this season.):  https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2019/10/28/nfl-week-9-power-rankings-more-ammo-for-belichick-as-greatest-coach-ever/3/

Yahoo (17. Detroit Lions (3-3-1, LW: 19):  The Lions threw on all 13 third downs Sunday, and Matthew Stafford was 12-of-13 for 200 yards on those plays (h/t to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). Stafford also didn’t throw an incompletion after halftime. Stafford has a 105.3 passer rating, and he has never finished north of 100 over a full season in his career.):  https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-mediocre-afc-might-give-patriots-a-free-ride-to-super-bowl-033101066.html

PFT Power Rankings (18. Lions (3-3-1; No. 19): The Lions could still cobble together a playoff run.):  https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/10/29/pfts-week-nine-power-rankings-2/

FTW Power Rankings (21. Lions):  https://ftw.usatoday.com/gallery/nfl-playoff-power-rankings-every-teams-playoff-chances-entering-week-9

PFF (24. DETROIT LION (Last Week: 25th):  The trade deadline came and gone, and Darius Slay is still a member of the Detroit Lions. Since the start of 2016, Slay ranks eighth among all cornerbacks with 1,000 or more coverage snaps in coverage grade (89.5) and second in forced incompletions (56). The fact that he’s staying in Detroit is a very good sign for their defense. The issue with their defense in 2019 has been a complete inability to rush the passer. The Lions have generated pressure on just 30.4% of opposing quarterback dropbacks (27th in the NFL).):   https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-2019-pff-week-9-nfl-power-rankings

Average Power Ranking (243/15):  16