The Detroit Lions may have had the most disappointing Week 1 performance of any team in the NFL. Losing to the Green Bay Packers on the road is not alarming in a vacuum, but getting thoroughly beaten on both sides of the ball is so concerning that many Lions fans are setting off alarms.
Some questioned if Dan Campbell would be able to field a contending team after losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and the snap judgment after Week 1 would say that the answer is a firm no. As such, a media landscape that had the Lions as a contender has now snapped back to reality and dropped them down a peg or two.
While the Lions have plenty of time for things to get turned around before the alarm bells can start ringing out, Detroit took such a big downgrade in the eyes of all the power rankings across the league that many no longer view them as a Top 10 team.
NFL Power Rankings drop Lions after Week 1 loss
Bleacher Report: 10th (down 5 spots)
Bleacher Report may not share the same optimism that many of the other sites do about the Lions’ poor start, noting that they have multiple tough matchups and duels with division rivals coming down the road that are not to be taken lightly.
NFL.com: 8th (down 3 spots)
Eric Edholm stressed patience with the Lions despite their poor execution in the red zone and inability to slow down Jordan Love, citing that new offensive coordinator John Morton may need a few weeks to get his feet under him.
ESPN: 8th (down 5 spots)
While ESPN didn’t have very many positives to write about after Detroit was beaten in just about every phase of the game, they did make mention of much-hyped rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa after he caught a touchdown pass in his first-ever NFL game in stunning fashion.
Sports Illustrated: 12th (down 7 spots)
Despite the sharp drop, SI shares Campbell’s belief that the loss to Green Bay is not an emergency. Micah Parsons had a Micah Parsons game, and this team still needs to adjust after an offseason dominated by change.
NFL Spin Zone: 15th (down 6 spots)
Spin Zone is very pessimistic about the Lions’ chances of competing without Glenn and Johnson, though they do believe they have the raw talent on the roster to possibly overcome these massive downgrades in coaching quality.
