That Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers feels so long ago now for the Detroit Lions. After a 52-21 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 2, the Lions scored a huge 38-30 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Perhaps head coach Dan Campbell was right that the Week 1 loss wasn’t as bad as it seemed. The Lions have quickly righted the ship and sit at 2-1 through three weeks.
How did Monday’s win affect Detroit’s standings in the various power rankings? Let’s circle up and see where the pundits list the Lions relative to the rest of the league.
USA Today: No. 6 (Last Week: 10)
From Nate Davis:
They don’t appear to be lacking for much since a Week 1 face plant at Lambeau. The offense is once again in high gear − 90 points over the last two games − while Monday night was also a reminder that DE Aidan Hutchinson is back for a team that allegedly lost too many coaches in the offseason.
ESPN: No. 3 (Last Week: 5)
From Eric Woodyard:
Through Week 3, the Lions are tied for a league-low 22.0% pass rush win rate. They’ve relied on Hutchinson, who has been consistently double-teamed as he tries to find a groove after returning from a season-ending leg injury in 2024. Detroit lacks depth at the position, as defensive end Marcus Davenport (chest) is now on injured reserve. The Lions are counting on fellow end Al-Quadin Muhammad to step up (he had 2.5 sacks against the Ravens). Also, the return of defensive tackle Alim McNeill (ACL injury) and end Josh Paschal (reserve/non-football injury list) at some point this season will help fix those issues. But Detroit did look impressive in tallying seven sacks against the Ravens on Monday night.
The Athletic: No. 5 (Last Week: 6)
From Josh Kendall and Chad Graff:
After some Week 1 rust, Jared Goff and the Lions offense are back to the aggressiveness and fun play calling that were so successful under Johnson. Goff benefited from a strong running game Monday night but played well, including a perfect pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown late on fourth-and-2. The last two weeks feel like a statement that they’ll be fine after losing their two coordinators from last season.
NFL.com: No. 3 (Last Week: 6)
From Eric Edholm:
I think we can bury any coordinator concerns about John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard here and now. The Lions were the tougher, smarter and better-prepared team on Monday night, repeatedly coming up with clutch plays in a hostile road environment. The Lions delivered the first punch. The Ravens countered, landing a few haymakers, too. But Detroit never came close to shriveling up, playing exceptional three-phase football and essentially beating the Ravens at their own game. Four rushing TDs in Baltimore? Seven sacks of Lamar Jackson? Three-for-three on fourth down? Elevated stuff, borne out of coaching and preparation. There were a dozen players I could highlight, but please, out of respect to Morton and Sheppard — who each called a brilliant game in the MNF spotlight — can we now end the Ben Johnson/Aaron Glenn questions? That narrative is dead.
FOX Sports: No. 4 (Last Week: 8)
From Ralph Vacchiano:
That Monday night win in Baltimore had everything: great defense, a powerful running game, gutsy calls by Dan Campbell. Looks like the Lions are back.
NBC Sports: No. 3 (Last Week: 9)
From Mike Florio:
Eight assistants leaving doesn’t matter, as long as the head coach is still there.
CBS Sports: No. 6 (Last Week: 12)
From Pete Prisco:
They pushed the Ravens around Monday night to get back to their roots on offense of running the ball. The defense also came up big with seven sacks.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions power ranking roundup after the Week 3 win over the Ravens
Reporting by Billy Riccette, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
