Power Rankings: Win Boosts Lions Back In Top Five

Where Lions stand in power rankings in Week 3.

Fans cheer from the stands as the Arizona Cardinals play against the Detroit Lions. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions got back in the win column Sunday, knocking off the Arizona Cardinals 20-13.

Here's a look at where the Lions stand in the latest edition of power rankings from pundits across the league.

Sports Illustrated

Power ranking: 4th

Previous rank: 3rd

Through three weeks, the Lions have looked alternately fierce and surprisingly beatable. I wonder what would have happened if Jared Goff’s pick six would not have been blown dead. Having watched it numerous times, the ball is clearly in motion before the two minute warning and I think Cardinals fans have some grounds for a grievance. If you want answers directly from the officiating crew, here’s a pool report. While I can see the crew’s point—the first time I watched it I wondered what everyone was complaining about because I thought I saw the clock hit zero before the snap—a second review clearly shows a second still on the clock. Human error is fun when there’s not so much gambling involved!

The Athletic

Power ranking: 3rd

Previous ranking: 6th

We’ve wondered about this for a while. Watch the play below and you will, too. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught seven passes for 75 yards Sunday, one of which he flipped back to Jahmyr Gibbs for a 21-yard touchdown. It was beautiful. It resulted in a touchdown with less than 30 seconds left in the half, and the day’s weirdest stat line: Gibbs, zero targets, zero catches, 20 receiving yards and a 21-yard receiving touchdown.

CBS Sports

Power ranking: 10th

Previous rank: 11th

After losing to the Bucs, they bounced back against the Cardinals with a victory. But they still don't quite look like the team we expect to see.

Yahoo Sports

Power ranking: 3rd

Previous rank: 5th

Sunday's win vs. the Cardinals was costly for the Lions. They lost defensive end Marcus Davenport for the season with an elbow injury and center Frank Ragnow will miss time with a pectoral injury. Ragnow is a huge part of the Lions' stellar offensive line and Aidan Hutchinson will get more attention without Davenport on the other side.

ESPN

Power ranking: 5th

Previous rank: 5th

Even after a Week 3 win, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown acknowledged that the Lions' offense could step up more. The main statistic that jumps out is that the Lions are 5-of-13 (38.5 %) scoring touchdowns on red zone opportunities. For context, through three games in 2023, the Lions were 5-of-9 (55.6%) in red zone scoring. When it was upset by Tampa Bay in Week 2, the Lions had six red zone drives without a touchdown, their most in a game since 1981, per ESPN Research.

Bleacher Report

Power ranking: 4th

Previous rank: 5th

On some level, the Detroit Lions posted an impressive victory over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday. The Lions piled up 373 yards of offense, held the Arizona Cardinals to 277 yards of offense and piled up over 180 yards on the ground.

However, after moving the ball at will in the first half, the Lions didn't score after intermission. Head coach Dan Campbell tried to paint it as a positive while addressing the media—saying that is shows the Lions can win in different ways.

USA Today

Power ranking: 4th

Previous rank: 5th

DE Aidan Hutchinson is still on fire, (prematurely) paced toward 37 sacks. His team will need that kind of pressure against this week's opponent, Seattle, which has beaten the Lions six straight times – the average score of the past three meetings 45-35.