Power Rankings: Lions Loss Plummets Opinions in Majority of Polls

Lions must regroup after losing to the Seahawks.

The Detroit Lions suffered a devastating loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. With recent injury news surfacing, the defeat may prove more costly than initially expected.

The overtime loss was a crushing blow to the fan base, as has the potential loss of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. This discontent and adversity has been reflected in the recent media rankings, as the Lions have plummeted outside the top-10. 

Here is where the Lions stand amongst the league in recent NFL power rankings:

Sports Illustrated

Power ranking: 10th

Previous rank: 6th

"This was something of a valuable experience for Dan Campbell's Lions after scoring one of the most emotional victories in modern franchise history a week ago. Having Seattle come in and upset them in the home opener is a bit of a reminder that an arrival is not permanent in the NFL and is highly conditional. The team is now sustaining some attrition, with David Montgomery out for at least a few weeks. The offense now loses part of its appeal as a series of complementary backs. Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs has to take on a larger share of the workload, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson may have to show his cards on that front sooner than he would have liked. 

Sporting News

Power ranking: 8th

Previous rank: 4th

"The Lions maybe got overhyped themselves for their home opener after shocking the Chiefs in Week 1. Jared Goff turned another smooth, efficient first half into a big mistake-stamped second half. Detroit is still leaning how to win a lot and needs to clean up more under Dan Campbell."

Pro Football Network

Power ranking: 14th

Previous rank: 7th amongst 1-0 teams

"The Lions had a prime opportunity to start the season 2-0 and prove to us all that they have legitimately taken the next step in their franchise evolution … but they failed.

Against a Seattle team that completely imploded a week ago in the second half, the Lions’ defense was unable to get their FlexTape delivered in time to fix their leaks.

With BOTH of their starting offensive tackles out, the Seattle Seahawks offense averaged almost six yards per play, and the Lions only managed to sack Geno Smith once.

Yet, maybe this game didn’t prove that Detroit is ready but that the product we saw from Seattle a week ago was a fluke."

ESPN

Power ranking: 8th

Previous rank: 7th

"Goff is playing out the four-year, $134 million contract extension he signed with the Rams in 2019. He is scheduled to make $26.975 million in 2024. But Goff could position himself for a long-term extension if the Lions have a big year. Once considered a bridge quarterback, the soon-to-be 29-year-old is playing some of the best football of his career. Goff has multiple touchdown passes in six straight home games going back to Week 9 of last season, which is the longest active streak in the NFL, and he threw 383 consecutive passes before throwing an interception on Sunday, which is the third-longest streak in league history."

CBS Sports

Power ranking: 18th

Previous rank: 10th

"Losing at home to the Seahawks is not a good look for this team. The defense has to be better."

Yahoo!

Power ranking: 8th

Previous rank: 7th

"Sunday's loss wasn't a great one for the Lions, but it happens. What's more troubling is the injury report. David Montgomery could miss multiple weeks with a thigh injury. Amon-Ra St. Brown suffered what appeared to be a toe injury, and that can linger. Left tackle Taylor Decker missed Sunday's game with an ankle injury. Those are some problematic injuries."

USA Today

Power ranking: 9th

Previous rank: 5th

"Hopefully Sunday's loss to Seattle won't be as penal as the 2022 defeat that cost Detroit a playoff berth. Obviously didn't hurt that the rest of the NFC North also lost in Week 2."

The Athletic

Power ranking: 13th

Previous rank: 7th

"We would like to take a moment to appreciate Jared Goff. He’s third in the league in yards per play (7.4) and had a passer rating of 121.8 against Seattle this week. In the first half, he was 11-for-12 for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Until Sunday, Goff had gone 383 pass attempts without an interception, which is the third-longest streak in NFL history, according to ESPN Stats & Info. It might be time to say the guy’s pretty good."