Power Rankings: Dan Campbell Praised for Fearless Decisions

Lions are a top NFL team.

All Lions

Power ranking: 3rd

Previous rank: 3rd

Detroit's performance on the road against the Chargers proved they could win a game not playing their best on defense. 

The offense stepped up and executed at a very high level after the bye week. With Jahmry Gibbs and David Montgomery healthy, Ben Johnson has the opportunity in the second half of the season to fine tune the offense before the team makes a playoff push. 

Sports Illustrated

Power ranking: 4th

Previous rank: 6th

Inspired football on Sunday by the Lions, a team that again cracks our top four (much to the joy of Lions nation). Dan Campbell continues to coach with an unwavering belief in the product he’s putting on the field, which will inevitably suit Detroit when the going gets tough in the playoffs. This has been a masterclass in self-awareness, humility and not coaching scared. 

The Athletic

Power ranking: 3rd

Previous rank: 4th

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.

Film Review: Lions Vision for Montgomery, Gibbs Coming to Life

Sporting News

Power ranking: 3rd

Previous rank: 5th

The Lions are becoming like the Eagles, and that's what makes them the second-best team in the NFC. They can win shootouts with Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and their passing game. They also can dominate with the running game. They can win with offense or defense. Dan Campbell is coach of the year.

Pro Football Network

Power ranking: 3rd

Previous rank: 5th

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.

ESPN

Power ranking: 4th

Previous rank: 5th

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.

Yahoo!

Power ranking: 3rd

Previous rank: 4th

This is how you know the Lions are rolling on offense: They had a pass play called on Sunday but the wrong personnel was on the field. They needed two tight ends for the called play but somehow they had only one on the field. So Jared Goff changed the play at the line to a run, and David Montgomery went for a 75-yard touchdown.

USA Today

Power ranking: 6th

Previous rank: 7th

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?)