Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Week 4 Power Rankings

Athletic (6. Detroit Lions (2-1) - Last week: 8.  Sunday: Beat Jets 31-24.  QB confidence: Should be higher.  If former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn thought he was going to rattle Jared Goff, he was sorely mistaken. The New York Jets blitzed Goff 16 times Sunday, and the 31-year-old was 16-for-16 for 173 yards and two touchdowns on those plays. For the season, he has five touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion percentage of 86.7 when blitzed, according to TruMedia. Overall, he’s third in the league in touchdown passes (eight) and hasn’t thrown a pick.):  https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7640490/2026/09/29/nfl-power-rankings-week-4-raiders-broncos-rams-patriots/

Walter Football (9.  Detroit Lions (2-1)Team Hub - Previously: 11. The Lions rebounded nicely from their blowout loss to Buffalo on Thursday night. Some might say it was only the Jets, but New York isn't nearly as bad as some people think. Detroit's victory was an impressive bounce-back performance against an underrated opponent.):  https://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php

Fox sports Cowherd (9. Detroit Lions
Record: 2-1 - Previous ranking: 10.  Cowherd’s thoughts: The Lions are weird. Worst scoring defense in the league, yet they're second in sacks to the Vikings. But this is about Jahmyr Gibbs. This is about Jared Goff. Only team to score 30 plus points in every game, but they're going to have to win by track meets. So I think their floor is incredibly high. I don't know if their ceiling is as high as I thought going into the season.):  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/herd-hierarchy-raiders-legit-seahawks-fall-while-bills-49ers-rise

USA Today (10. Detroit Lions (10): How consistent has this offense been? Exactly 31 points in every game. A low of 355 yards and a high of 381. And just one turnover. If a defense that's allowed the most points (95) in the league can hold on long enough to get some reinforcements, this team has a legit shot at finally ending the league's longest hex of failing to qualify for the Super Bowl.):  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/nate-davis/2026/09/29/nfl-power-rankings-week-4-seahawks-bills-chiefs-49ers/91998593007/

TheBigLead (10. Detroit Lions: The good news is the Lions are 2-1 and have scored 93pts, 31pts in each game. The bad news is that they have given up 95pts. This week they are on the road, facing the Panthers, who are coming off a tough loss. The Panthers have scored 89pts, also averaging nearly 30pts per game. A Panthers victory will flip these two teams in the standings.):  https://www.thebiglead.com/nfl-power-rankings-entering-week-4-2026/

SN (11. Detroit Lions 2-1 (14):  The Lions need every bit of what Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs are doing to light it up offensively with their defense porous in every which way. Shootouts follow everywhere they go and they might need to make a drastic change soon.):  https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-4/7341d122c9adf1408db36e5e

FTW (11. Detroit Lions:  Last week: 12.  The Lions are 2-1, but those two wins came over the Saints and Jets, needing a stop on a two-point conversion and a late strip sack, respectively, to escape. The offensive line is still coming together, the secondary is a mess, and a pass rush punching above its weight class has been unable to cover for it. Detroit is a flawed team. Will those flaws be fatal, or will they keep the fireworks show going for the next 20 weeks? — CD):  https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2026/09/29/nfl-power-rankings-week-4-49ers-raiders-broncos/91993129007/

PFN (12. Detroit Lions - Last Week’s Ranking: 13.  Offense Rank: 5.  Defense Rank: 32.  Playoff Odds: 72.80%.  As many concerns as the Detroit Lions might have on defense, we know by now that their offense is one of the best in the NFL. They put up 31 points in their win over the Jets on Sunday, which was headlined by Jahmyr Gibbs scoring three touchdowns. The 31-24 victory bumped Detroit up to 2-1 to start the year.  Sure, the Lions allowed an explosive performance by Geno Smith through the air, but their defense also sacked Smith five times. Throw in a clean game from Jared Goff, a dominant outing by Gibbs, and a two-sack game from DJ Wonnum, and the Lions have to be feeling pretty good coming out of Week 3.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/week-4-nfl-power-rankings-2026/

CBS (12. Lions:  Jahmyr Gibbs is carrying this team and is in the early MVP conversation. They have to be happy to be 2-1 with all the defensive injuries.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2026-nfl-power-rankings-week-4-bills-vikings/

ESPN (13. Detroit Lions (2-1).  Week 3 result: Beat the Jets 31-24.  Week 3 ranking: 14.  Fantasy surprise: QB Jared Goff.  It's sometimes easy to forget about Goff's consistency because he plays alongside elite playmakers such as RB Jahmyr Gibbs and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. The veteran QB is a viable starter in fantasy this season, averaging 21.9 points. Goff was the No. 18 quarterback in our draft rankings and had an ADP of 131.4. After Sunday's win, Gibbs lauded Goff as Detroit's "leader." "We trust him with everything," Gibbs said. -- Eric Woodyard):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50052289/nfl-power-rankings-week-4-teams-fantasy-surprises

Fox sports (13. Detroit Lions Record: 2-1.  Previous ranking: 14.  Super Bowl odds: +1900.  Next game: @ Panthers (Sunday, 8:15 p.m. ET).  There aren’t many more dynamic offenses in the NFL, and few teams can boast a dynamic duo like RB Jahmyr Gibbs and WR Amon-Ra St-Brown. This team is a juggernaut, averaging more than 31 points per game. But man, does their defense stink. And it shouldn’t, not with defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (3.5 sacks), yet it still does. You know who the Lions remind me of? Last year’s Cowboys. The offense is unstoppable, but it’s the trainwreck defense that’s keeping them out of the top 10.  Stat To Know: This is the first time in Lions franchise history that they have scored 30+ points in each of their first three games of a season.):  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2026-nfl-power-rankings-week-4

Yahoo (13. Detroit Lions (2-1, LW: 13) - The Lions have given up the most points and second-most yards in the NFL this season. They beat the Jets on Sunday but allowed 335 yards and 24 points. Two Jets, Garrett WIlson and Kenyon Sadiq, had 100-yard receiving games. Most Lions games this season will be high scoring. They'll need the defense to make a few plays, like it did in the final minute. The Jets reached the Lions' 28-yard line, but safety Chuck Clark sacked Geno Smith on a blitz, causing a fumble that the Lions recovered.  "And then for our defense to have to, man, they had to make that stop," Lions head coach Campbell said. "That's what it was going to come down to. And it was such a great call by [defensive coordinator] Kelvin Sheppard and those guys executing it."):  https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/nfl-power-rankings-week-4-the-raiders-are-3-0-and-there-are-plenty-of-signs-it-might-stick-033636438.html

NFL.com (14.  Detroit Lions:  We know the Lions can put up points in bunches by leaning heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs, and this offense is capable of keeping them in every game they play. Their defensive struggles in the fourth quarter remain concerning, even if a takeaway saved them from another trip to overtime.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-4-2026-nfl-season

PFT (14. Lions (No. 16; 2-1): The defense still isn’t nearly good enough.):  https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/pfts-week-4-2026-nfl-power-rankings

SI (14. Detroit Lions (2–1) - Last week’s ranking: No. 18.  Last week’s result: beat Jets, 31–24.  This week: at Panthers.  Jared Goff is one of six quarterbacks in NFL history to start the season with more than 800 yards passing and eight touchdowns in three games. If the Lions can go out and get themselves Joey Porter, all will be right in the world, as the offense is holding up its end of the bargain.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/conor-orr-week-4-nfl-power-rankings-bills-take-over-top-spot



Fansided Jason LaCanfora (18. Detroit Lions - Last Rank: 18.  Week 3 Result: def. Jets, 31-24.  I’m not buying this operation. It’s starting to become clear this is a team that can beat lesser teams but struggles with the middle class and is probably in trouble vs. good teams. The defense is bad; they let teams go crazy on them in the second half of games and Penei Sewell at left tackle might not be the move. Their decline feels real to me.):  https://fansided.com/nfl/nfl-power-rankings-entering-week-4-packers-and-patriots-tumble-chiefs-overtake-seahawks

Average Ranking (220/18):  12
Posted by LionsFan at 3:42 PM

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