2023 NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Detroit Lions continue to rise toward the top
Whew! What a win! The Detroit Lions sure did get our blood flowing on Sunday as they needed a last-second field goal to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-38. With the move, the Lions are now 7-2 on the season, which keeps them as the No. 2 seed in the NFC Playoff picture. As we head toward Week 11 of the 2023 NFL regular season, let’s take a look at some of the latest NFL Power Rankings to see where the Lions currently stand.
What are the NFL Power Rankings for Week 10?
Pro Football Network: No. 3
“Congratulations are in order for the Lions. They decided that defense would be optional against the Chargers, but they got away with it. Jared Goff was great, and the Lions’ rushing attack had a field day against the Chargers, who also decided that defense was optional.“
The Lions top the NFC North standings and have a fairly smooth schedule for the remainder of the regular season, against mostly teams with subpar records. Detroit’s annual Thanksgiving game vs. Green Bay should be fun, and Week 16 at Minnesota could be for a divisional title, but the Lions’ most significant game will be on the road at Dallas in a prime-time matchup on ESPN on Saturday, Dec. 30, as they’re also vying for a top seed in the NFC to lock down a home game in the postseason for the first time in Ford Field history.
All the kneecap-biting jokes were on us. Plenty of people wrote off Dan Campbell after his bombastic introductory news conference, but he’s 15-4 in his last 19 games. The Lions went for it on fourth down five times Sunday against the Chargers and converted four times, including an early fourth-and-5 with a run play and then on fourth-and-2 with 1:47 left in a tie game when in field goal range. Converting that last one allowed Detroit to run the clock down and kick the game-winner as time expired. “He’s got big …” (confidence, let’s say confidence), quarterback Jared Goff said after the game.
Funny to watch Dan Campbell beat the Bolts’ Brandon Staley at the analytics game with his bold but successful decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 with 1:47 left Sunday prior to Detroit’s game-winning FG. “(H)e’s got big (guts), and he showed it there,” QB Jared Goff said of his coach. (Though, in retrospect, does Staley ever win the analytics battle?)
