PFN (1. Detroit Lions - Offense+ Rank: 1. Defense+ Rank: 4. Special Teams+ Rank: 12. SOS Rank: 13. The Lions have lost a ton of key players to injuries as of late, but it didn’t matter in Week 16, as they dominated the Bears 34-17. Ben Johnson and the Lions called perhaps the best trick play in recent memory, as Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs executed a fake stumble that resulted in a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta. Johnson is one of the most creative play-callers in the NFL, and it’s no surprise that he is getting head-coaching buzz.): https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-power-rankings-week-17-insights-2024/
ESPN (2. Detroit Lions (13-2) - Week 16 ranking: 3. Rookie of the year: Cornerback Terrion Arnold. Arnold has been a pivotal player in Detroit's first 13-win team with 52 total tackles and nine passes defended. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn says Arnold has "ice water in his veins" and has high expectations for him going forward. "We're putting a lot of pressure on this player by the way that we play, but there's no other way that he would want it," Glenn said Dec. 12. "So, I'm glad we've got him for the simple fact that he's going to be one of the top corners in this league as his years progress." -- Eric Woodyard): https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43128115/nfl-power-rankings-week-17-poll-2024-plus-best-rookie-year
SI (2. Detroit Lions (13–2) - A titanium leg for Aidan Hutchinson.): https://www.si.com/nfl/nfl-power-rankings-one-useful-holiday-gift-for-each-team
FTW (2. Detroit Lions - Last week’s rank: 2. After losing most of their starting defense for the season, the Lions delivered a statement on Sunday: they’re not throwing in the towel. Yes, it was against the lowly Bears, but Detroit flexed its muscles and came out firing in an important road win in Chicago. Now, with the Eagles’ latest loss, Detroit is back in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Dan Campbell has his faults but he has one very important quality. He knows when to push all the right buttons. — RZ): https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-power-rankings-week-17-buccaneers-falcons-bengals
USA Today (2. Detroit Lions (3): The first team in franchise history to win 13 games, they're trying to pave the NFC pathway to the Super Bowl directly to Ford Field. Plenty of work yet to do on that front, even for a team that's almost certainly the franchise's best of the Super Bowl era (since 1966) – the Lions' 493 points and 7-0 road record are club bests – much as that's also indicative of their checkered-at-best history over that period. Regardless, give Dan Campbell and Co. credit for continuing to play at a high level no matter how many injuries and other obstacles they must navigate. Detroit is the only team this season with a 1,000-yard rusher with 10 TDs (Jahmyr Gibbs) and a 1,000-yard receiver with 10 TDs (Amon-Ra St. Brown).): https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2024/12/24/nfl-power-rankings-week-17-bills-lions-chiefs-packers/77191885007/
The Athletic (Lions - Power ranking: 2nd. Previous ranking: 3rd. The Lions’ injured reserve list is ridiculous — Aidan Hutchinson, Alex Anzalone, Marcus Davenport, Carlton Davis III, Alim McNeill, Malcolm Rodriguez and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., and that’s not all of them. David Montgomery remains on the active roster, but he’s a long shot to return because of a knee injury. At least this week, though, it didn’t seem to bother them as they put 475 yards on the hapless Bears.): https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/power-rankings-lions-shine-dealing-with-adversity
Fox sports (2. Lions: Right around the time Detroit called a fake fumble touchdown pass, you started to wonder if Ben Johnson was trying to stick it to the Bears — or maybe impress the executives who will hire Chicago’s next head coach. The Lions' offense is the reason they still have a Super Bowl ceiling, despite the injuries.): https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2024-power-rankings
Fox News (2. Lions: Jared Goff in the cold was a nightmare waiting to happen, yet he might have turned in his most impressive performance of the season. Goff is on the outside looking in, but he most definitely deserves to be probably third in the MVP rankings behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. This team’s offense is too scary. Last week: 4): https://www.foxnews.com/sports/fox-news-digital-sports-nfl-power-rankings-after-week-16-2024-season
SN (3. Detroit Lions 13-2 (4): The Lions smashed their cold-weather narrative with Jared Goff, and their injury-riddled defense also rose to the occasion in Chicago. They flexed again as the NFC's best team with the Eagles getting grinched.): https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-17-lions-vikings-steelers-eagles/3e701e7a37c70148a8cce02f
Walter football (3. Detroit Lions (13-2) – Previously: 3. Those injured players didn’t seem to be a factor with the Lions demolishing the Bears in cold weather. Then again, Detroit had a great matchup against a team that has an interim head coach and no offensive coordinator.): https://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php
CBS (3. Lions: The offense showed it can move the football in any type of weather in the blowout of the Bears. The undermanned defense gave up yards, but made stops when needed.): https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-17-power-rankings-commanders-jayden-daniels-has-his-signature-moment-eagles-drop-out-of-top-5/
Yahoo (3. Lions: A matchup between two 14-2 teams in the regular-season finale, with the winner getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the loser going on the road wild-card weekend with a 14-3 record, is still in play. Detroit faces the 49ers in Week 17, though that test looks easier with the current state of the 49ers.): https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-entering-week-17-should-a-loss-change-what-we-think-about-the-eagles-043538300.html
NFL.com (3. Detroit Lions - In his first game since running mate David Montgomery suffered a serious knee injury, Jahmyr Gibbs racked up 109 yards and a touchdown on the ground, caught four passes for 45 yards and played his part as the decoy in a cheeky trick play that had the good vibes flowing again in a win over the Bears. Even against a team that has now lost nine straight, it was an important statement for the Lions to show that they can take care of business amid all the injuries and coming off their first loss in three months. The victory took on more significance when the Commanders came back to beat the Eagles, who were nipping at Detroit's heels for the top seed in the NFC. The Lions are back in business, though the defense is going to remain a weekly worry. The unit made more plays against the Bears than it did in the previous two weeks, but there was still plenty to clean up.): https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-17-2024-nfl-season
PFF (3. Lions: The Lions rebounded from their Week 15 loss to the Bills in dominant fashion, cruising to a 34-17 road victory over the Bears to improve to 13-2. It marks the first time in franchise history that Detroit has reached 13 wins, solidifying their status as NFC favorites despite numerous injuries. No team plays harder than Dan Campbell’s squad. The Lions’ 93.1 team grade leads the NFL.): https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-17-power-rankings
PFT (4. Lions (No. 5; 13-2): They answered the bell against the Bears. It might all come down to Week 18 against the Vikings.): https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/pfts-week-17-2024-nfl-power-rankings
Average Power Ranking (41/16): 3
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