2023 NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Detroit Lions rise despite being on bye week
Well, that was relaxing! The Detroit Lions had their bye week in Week 9, which means it was a stress-free weekend in the Motor City. With that being said, most of the other teams in the NFL did play, and based on those results, many publications have released their latest NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 10. Despite not playing, our Lions moved up in some of these rankings.
What are the NFL Power Rankings for Week 10?
Pro Football Network: No. 5
“The Detroit Lions aren’t the best team in the NFC, but they’re not far from it. Their loss to the Ravens was an eyesore, but we saw again this week what Baltimore does to NFC teams. Even with that embarrassing loss, Detroit ranked just outside of the top 10 in offense and inside of it on defense.”
The Pro Bowl receiver was named one of six team captains for the 2023 season and has continued to build on a great start to his NFL career. St. Brown might not be the most vocal person in the locker room, but his work ethic and production speaks for itself. He has five 100-yard receiving games this season, helping Detroit to a 6-2 start for the first time since 2014. He pushed through an illness to help the Detroit Lions beat the Raiders on “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 30 — finishing with six receptions for 108 yards. Performances like that one have inspired his teammates and the coaching staff. “That was not the best he’s felt, but like a true warrior he just sucked it up and he went,” coach Dan Campbell said after the game. — Eric Woodyard
Report card: A-plus
The Lions have gone from 3-13 to 9-8 to now 6-2 in head coach Dan Campbell’s three seasons. Detroit’s only two losses have come against Seattle and Baltimore, and it is second in the league in yards per game (390.6) and fifth in yards allowed per game (296.9). And this is not a team that has mortgaged its future. The Lions are eighth in the league in available cap space for 2024 ($73.3 million), according to Over the Cap.
In the three games he’s started, rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs has a league-best 132.3 yards from scrimmage per. Maybe keep him in the starting lineup even with war hammer RB David Montgomery set to return from a rib injury?
