Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season is a wrap and it is time to take a look at where the Detroit Lions fall in the latest NFL Power Rankings.
As you will see below, the Lions actually moved up in a few sets of Power Rankings, despite losing 28-24 to the Minnesota Vikings.
In fact, the Lions either moved up or stayed the same in five of the nine sets of Power Rankings we found.
Detroit Lions move UP in multiple multiple NFL Power Rankings despite loss to Vikings
MOVED UP
Last Week: 21
This Week: 19
“The Lions blew it on Sunday. They should have gone for it on fourth-and-4 with a little more than a minute to go but decided on a 54-yard field goal instead, a decision Dan Campbell said he regrets. This is where the Lions’ history is a problem. Other teams can lose a game like that and while it stings, it doesn’t follow them. It’ll be hard for Detroit, which deserves much more than its 1-2 record right now, to not slip into the mindset that they’re just the same old Lions.”
Last Week: 25
This Week: 21
“Detroit is one of four teams, along with the Falcons, Dolphins, and Texans, this season that’s undefeated against the spread entering Week 4 and nearly pulled off a road upset over the Vikings as six-point dogs on Sunday. The bright spots are head coach Dan Campbell (duh), receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, cornerback Jeff Okudah, and a menacing offensive line. Jared Goff is playing with confidence and making the sporadic highlight-reel play, but he ranks bottom-10 in PFF’s grades and 25th in EPA per clean dropback (.08). Eventually the Lions will need more from a QB than the ability to cover the spread.”
Last Week: 21
This Week: 19
In the NFL, learning how to handle success can be as important as learning to overcome adversity. The Detroit Lions are still working on the former.
For most of Sunday’s game in Minnesota, the Lions outplayed the Vikings. They held an early 14-point lead and led 24-14 at the outset of the fourth quarter. But the lead didn’t hold, much to the chagrin of head coach Dan Campbell.
“We had our chances. We played some pretty good football for a while,” Campbell told reporters. “I told the team, ‘When the downs come, we’ve got to handle it with composure. And when the ups come, we have to capitalize.’ We didn’t capitalize enough when we were on the ups.”
It was a stern reminder that while these Lions may be better in years past, that doesn’t make them good.
“The Lions are a first down here and a defensive stop there from being 3-0,” Davenport said. “They nearly beat the surging Eagles in the opener and came close to escaping the Twin Cities with a win on Sunday. But the cold, hard truth is that the Lions couldn’t seal the deal and make the late plays that needed to be made. They still need to learn how to win, and until they do that, these Lions aren’t all that different than the punching bags of years past.”
MOVED DOWN
Last Week: 14
This Week: 15
“D’Andre Swift’s injury might keep him out of the Lions’ next two games, head coach Dan Campbell said, which would set him up to return after the team’s Week 6 bye. With Swift, the Lions lead the league with 5.9 yards per carry and probably should be 2-1. Campbell opted to attempt a 54-yard field goal on fourth-and-4 with a three-point lead and just over a minute remaining. The kick missed and the Vikings quickly went down the field for a game-winning score. Campbell has been generally aggressive on fourth downs during his coaching tenure but has had no consistent philosophy. Ben Baldwin’s fourth-down calculator rated that situation as an easy go-call, which Campbell admitted after the game he should have done.”
Last Week: 21
This Week: 25
“The Lions will be involved in plenty more exciting close games because of an explosive offense but their defense always be a major liability behind Aidan Hutchinson. There’s difference between being competitive and actually consistently winning.”
Last Week: 26
This Week: 28
“They had no business losing that game to the Vikings. This is a team that has to learn how to close out games.”
Last Week: 20
This Week: 25
“Jared Goff has only one victory to show for it in three games, but he has appeared much more comfortable in his second season with the Lions under new offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. With more talent around him, Goff helped the Lions reach an NFL record with a touchdown in 11 straight quarters — the most to begin a season in league history. The team still must find a way to close games, but Goff certainly isn’t the problem as he’s playing much better football than he did last year.”
STAYED THE SAME
Last week: 14
This week: 14
“Look who’s pacing the NFC in scoring at 31.7 points a week. Detroit had scored a touchdown in every quarter this season before failing to get the one it really needed in Sunday’s fourth period at Minnesota.”
Last Week: 16
This Week: 16
Dan Campbell owned it. Facing a fourth-and-4 in Vikings territory with a chance to ice a huge road win by securing one more first down, the Lions coach shifted away from his aggressive strategy and sent out the kicker. One miss and a busted coverage later, and Minnesota had stolen a 28-24 win from Detroit. “I regret that decision 100 percent,” Campbell said. “I really do. I hate it. I feel like I cost our team. I really do, man.” The strange thing? Campbell repeatedly left his offense on the field in similar situations earlier on Sunday, converting first downs on four of six fourth-down tries. The coach got cold feet at the wrong time.
Nation, where do you think the Detroit Lions should be in the Power Rankings following Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season? Do you think they should have gone up, down, or stayed the same following their Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings?
