Week 15 Power Rankings

PFF (5. Detroit Lions (Up 1) - Chance of making playoffs: 53%.  Chance of winning Super Bowl: 4%.  The Lions’ offense kicked into gear against the Cowboys in Week 14, rattling off five touchdowns in a 44-30 win while averaging 0.211 EPA per play. It was the Jahmyr Gibbs (90.6 grade; 1st) show again, as the electric running back scored three touchdowns on the ground and caught seven passes for 77 yards.   The Lions, who moved to 8-5 on the season, couldn’t afford any slip-ups in a tight playoff race in the NFC — but the win didn’t come without concerns. Safety Brian Branch (77.5 grade; 9th) suffered a torn Achilles and is out for the rest of the 2025 season. Injury luck just hasn’t been on the Lions’ side in 2025.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-15-power-rankings-chiefs-and-colts-tumble-steelers-improve

PFN (6. Detroit Lions - Last Week’s Ranking: 9.  Playoff Odds: 47.4%.  The Detroit Lions, behind three touchdowns by Jahmyr Gibbs, defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. After going 2-3 in November, a loss would have the Lions’ playoff odds under 20%. Detroit has scored an average of 40.7 points per game in the team’s last three wins; however, it has only managed 19.0 points per game.  After playing on consecutive Thursdays, the Lions get the extra rest heading into Week 15. Detroit will play three of the last four games on the road, starting with a trip to Los Angeles to face the Rams. After hosting the Steelers in Week 16, the Lions will conclude their season against the Vikings and Bears.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/week-15-nfl-power-rankings-2025/

Walter football (7.  Detroit Lions (8-5) – Previously: 8.  The Lions managed to stay alive with a win over Dallas, but they are not in good shape. They desperately need home-field advantage because Jared Goff simply can’t play in poor weather conditions, especially when going up against a team that can generate tons of pressure. Given the Lions’ 8-5 record, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll avoid playing outside come January. They may not even make it to January, given that their record. Their pass defense has been atrocious.):  https://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php

USA Today (8. Detroit Lions (12): It's amazing how many good players coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes have amassed here − and a shame so many of them are sidelined. But Jahmyr Gibbs, who needs to be recognized as the league's premier running back at this point, fortunately remains in the lineup for a team still capable of offensively overwhelming its competition.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2025/12/09/nfl-power-rankings-week-15-eagles-bears-rams/87681686007/

SI (8. Detroit Lions (8–5) - Last week’s ranking: No. 9. As we watch the NFC South again produce a division winner that could enjoy a more advantageous path to the Super Bowl than 50% of the NFC North, I think about the withdrawn Lions proposal to give home field to only the division winner with the best record in each conference.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/nfl-power-rankings-bills-packers-huge-wins-playoff-picture-into-focus

Athletic (8. Detroit Lions (8-5)

Last week: 10.  Thursday: Beat Cowboys 44-30.  Worst-case scenario: A road playoff game.  Detroit has a 39 percent chance of making the playoffs after beating Dallas, but it’s still staring at a playoff game away from home if it does make it. That could mean a trip to Philadelphia, Chicago, Green Bay or Seattle. For all of Jared Goff’s improvements, he still has a 57.7 career completion percentage outdoors when the temperature is below 50 degrees. In the last two years, he’s 22nd in the league in EPA per dropback in those conditions (0.01) compared to sixth (0.22) indoors.):  https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6873010/2025/12/09/nfl-power-rankings-week-15-rams-bills-jaguars/

Touchdown wire (10. Detroit Lions):  https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/touchdown/2025/12/09/week-15-nfl-power-rankings-rams-climb-broncos-fall-after-wins/87679654007/

Fox sports (10. Detroit Lions - Previously ranked: 12.  Ease up on declaring them "back" after they beat the Cowboys on Thursday night. They still have the Rams, Steelers and Bears over their last four games, so there’s a long way to go.):  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2025-nfl-power-rankings-week-15-race-super-bowl-wide-open

NFL.com (10. Detroit Lions:  With their backs against the wall, the Lions willed their way to victory over the Cowboys and kept alive their streak of 15 straight wins following a loss. That's the kind of mental toughness Dan Campbell has instilled in his team, but that resilience is going to be put to the test with Brian Branch suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. The star safety is as much the heartbeat of Detroit's defense as Aidan Hutchinson is -- losing Branch at an already-thin position could be a massive blow to Kelvin Sheppard's unit. Adding to the degree of difficulty: three road games in the final four, with zero gimmes remaining. The Lions' only contest against a team that's not currently in the playoff field comes in a short week at Minnesota on Christmas Day. With Jahmyr Gibbs on their side, anything is possible. But no doubt, the Lions still have a ton of work to do and several obstacles in their way.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-15-2025-nfl-season

ESPN (11. Detroit Lions (8-5) - Week 14 result: Beat the Cowboys 44-30.  Week 14 ranking: 11.  Most shocking statistical ranking: First in points per game.  Coach Dan Campbell took over playcalling duties from first-year offensive coordinator John Morton in Week 10, which was a sign that the Lions' offense didn't look as fluid and consistent as it did under Ben Johnson in 2024. But Detroit leads the NFL with 30.3 points per game. The Lions have also reached the 40-point mark three times this season, which is tied for the most in the NFL, and 12 times since the start of the 2023 season. -- Eric Woodyard):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47189899/nfl-week-15-power-rankings-poll-32-teams-2025-most-shocking-statistics

Yahoo (11 (11): Detroit Lions (8-5).  Here are the Lions’ results since the start of October: win, loss, win, loss, win, loss, win, loss, win. The win over the Cowboys hinted at their potential again, but it’s hard to rank them much higher than this when they haven’t put together a two-game winning streak in more than two months. Also, Detroit’s ability to make a deep playoff run probably relies on the Lions not catching any cold-weather games, given how much worse they are in outdoor games. The Lions are a good team but it’s hard to talk yourself into a Super Bowl run for them.):  https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/nfl-power-rankings-entering-week-15-why-cant-the-texans-make-a-run-in-a-flawed-and-weird-afc-051350851.html

FTW (12. Detroit Lions - Last week: 11.  Detroit made the Cowboys' defense improvements look like an illusion to remain in the playoff hunt, though the Lions remain behind the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in the NFC North. Concerns remain about a defense whose secondary has been ravaged by injury, especially with Brian Branch headed to injured reserve, after three straight games giving up 27 points or more. — CD):  https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2025/12/08/nfl-power-rankings-week-15-broncos-bears-packers/87671001007/

SN (12. Detroit Lions 8-5 (13):  The Lions got their offense back in hyperdrive with Jahmyr Gibbs going supersonic on the Cowboys in Week 14. They need to go right back to revving up for Jared Goff's revenge game at Stafford and the Rams in Week 15.):  https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-power-rankings-packers-steelers-bears-ravens-chiefs-colts/1b166650083b8dbbae13578c

PFT (12. Lions (No. 13; 8-5): Give the ball to Gibbs and good things will happen.):  https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/pfts-week-15-2025-nfl-power-rankings

CBS (17.  Lions:  They may have saved their season by beating the Cowboys at home, but now face a tough road trip to the Rams. Losing safety Brian Branch (torn Achilles) is a major blow.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-15-power-rankings-jaguars-afc-spotlight-contenders-crumble/

Average Power Rankings (147/15):  10