Lions' Week 11 Power Rankings: Belief Is a Powerful Drug

The Detroit Lions rise in the majority of NFL power rankings.

Let’s explore what the media had to say about the Detroit Lions, after defeating the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field for their second consecutive victory. 

Sports Illustrated 

Week 11 Rank: 22nd

Previous Rank: 27th

"The Lions are now winners of two straight. Sticking it to the Giants, who are winning games in similarly gritty fashion, would bring Dan Campbell’s team full circle, from forgettable Hard Knocks sideshow to missile looking to upend everyone’s dream season."

USA Today

Week 11 rank: 22nd

Previous rank: 26th

"For the first time in 29 years, they won a game they trailed by at least 14 points after three quarters. For the first time under head coach Dan Campbell, they won on the road."

Yahoo Sports

Week 11 rank: 27th

Previous rank: 30th

"Jeff Okudah made the biggest play of Sunday's game, a pick-six in the fourth quarter. Okudah hasn't become the cornerback the Lions were hoping when they made him the third pick of the 2020 draft (passing on Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert), but he is having his best season. After dealing with a lot of adversity, it was good to see him make such a big play in a win."

The Athletic

Week 11 rank: 23rd

Previous rank: 27th

“Detroit had lost 98 games in a row when trailing by at least 14 points heading into the fourth quarter, and Dan Campbell had never won a road game. Then Jeff Okudah’s pick six spurred the Lions’ unlikely comeback, giving them their first two-game winning streak since October 2020."

© Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

Sporting News

Week 11 rank: 24th

Previous rank: 28th

“The Lions are on a winning streak with Dan Campbell as their young defense has made timely big plays to lift the offense’s run-heavy effort. After a midseason hiccup, the promising rebuild is back on track, save for Jared Goff.”

NFL.com

Week 11 rank: 21st

Previous rank: 29th

"Are the Lions putting it together? Detroit did something unprecedented in the Dan Campbell era on Sunday -- it won a game outside of Ford Field. The 31-30 victory over the Bears -- the Lions’ second straight after a five-game skid -- was especially encouraging because it was the struggling defense that really stepped up: Jeff Okudah pulled Detroit even with a dramatic pick-six in the fourth quarter, and a host of defenders swarmed a red-hot Justin Fields for the decisive sack on fourth down in the final minutes. 'You want to learn to win in close games, you win in close games,' Campbell said. 'That's two now.' 

CBS Sports

Week 11 rank: 26th

Previous rank: 27th

“Dan Campbell finally won a road game in the division by beating the Bears. They will be a tough out the rest of the way.”

ESPN

Week 11 rank: 29th

Previous rank: 30th

“Not much has changed since the offseason. Goff is aware this is a huge year for his career, as he’s trying to prove he’s still a starter in the league in case the Lions decide to go in another direction come the offseason. Goff and the Lions’ offense got off to a hot start, leading the league in points per game through the first four weeks, before going cold with five straight losses. But they have recently turned it around with back-to-back wins for the first time since Weeks 6-7 of the 2020 season.”