Detroit Lions 2024 Week 1 NFL Power Rankings

The Detroit Lions will no longer be a surprise.

General manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell have built something special in their first three seasons, quickly rising from second-place to legitimate Super Bowl favorites.

They have earned a ton of national recognition from pundits around the league. Due to the diversity of talent as well as the depth of the roster, the Lions are among the top teams expected to contend for a championship.

Here’s how national analysts rank the Lions against other NFL teams in a series of power rankings after Week 1.

Illustrated Sports

Power Ranking: 2.

“Sports Illustrated’s preseason Super Bowl favorites, the Lions, are No. 2 in our Power Rankings. There’s a lot to be said for this roster, but I think the power lies in the practice game. That’s a pretty unglamorous way to talk about a team with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, among many others. But DJ Reader, Alim McNeill, and Aidan Hutchinson as a combination is much more exciting to me. The Lions will completely wear teams down, forcing them into obvious passing situations, which will reduce the burden on their developing defense. They will also continue to be one of the most dominant possession teams in the NFL. Last year, the Lions held the ball for more than 31 minutes per game. The Browns, by comparison, were the only team to break the 32-minute barrier last year.”

Athletic

Power Ranking: 2.

“These guys were in good spirits when they were 1-6 in 2022. They’ve now won 21 of their last 29 games, and wide receiver Jameson Williams looks like he’s taken a step forward in practice. Add Williams’ explosive breakaway speed to an offense that ranked third in the league in yards per play last year (5.9), and Campbell might not even need that 12th cup of coffee a day.”

CBS Sports

Power Ranking: 7.

“They should be pushing again for a deep playoff run and beyond. Dan Campbell needs to stop being so reckless with his decisions on fourth down because his team is so much better now.”

Yahoo! Sports

Power Ranking: 2.

“The Lions had some injuries during training camp and the preseason, but it doesn’t look like any key players will miss Week 1. It remains to be seen if rookie first-round pick Terrion Arnold gets a chance to play in Week 1 after missing August with a pectoral injury.”

ESPN

Power Ranking: 6.

“Detroit already had the offense (OL may be better this season) and the defense is much better (hello, Carlton Davis III, DJ Reader and Terrion Arnold). Maybe this is the year the Lions win the NFC.”

Football talks

Power Ranking: 2.

“They’ve never been prosecuted. They will be this year.”

USA today

Power Ranking: 2.

“Remember, WR Jameson Williams almost led them to the lead against the Niners in the 2023 NFC Finals. If he can become a consistent threat throughout the season, there will be no stopping this team.”

The Tribune Report

Power Ranking: 2.

“The Detroit Lions are no longer tomato cans. The Lions enter the season in a position the franchise probably hasn’t been in in 50 years or more. The Lions aren’t expected to just contend or win the NFC North. They’re expected to win the NFC. They’re expected to win the Super Bowl.”

Bell

Power Ranking: 2.

“For the first time in my lifetime, the Detroit Lions have real expectations to be one of the best teams in the NFL. After last year’s NFC title game appearance, the team brought back both coordinators, nearly all of its offensive starters, and added seasoned veterans Marcus Davenport, Carlton Davis and Amick Robertson to the defense, as well as first-round draft pick cornerback Terrion Arnold. In theory, all the defensive pieces are in place to play the style of football Detroit wants: crushing the pocket up front and playing man coverage in the backfield. Even if the defense’s aggression means they sometimes give up explosive passes, this defense should be much better at defending downfield passes than it was a season ago.

Playing in the NFC North will be a challenge this year, but this team only has three true outdoor games (which is huge for indoor football enthusiast Jared Goff), and one of those non-dome games is against San Francisco — where the weather is unlikely to have an impact on the game. Don’t be surprised if Detroit is at the top of these power rankings for a while this season.