NFL power rankings, Week 13: Lions fall out of top 10

Just two weeks ago, the Detroit Lions were on the verge of becoming a consensus top-five team in NFL power rankings. They were 7-2 and going into a matchup with one of the NFL's best teams, the Arizona Cardinals. Even after losing to the Cardinals, the Lions didn't drop all that much going into their matchup with another top team, the New England Patriots. This week, however, after losing their second game in a row, the Lions fell quite a bit in the latest NFL power rankings:

• SB Nation: 14th (down from 6th)
• NFL.com: 11th (down from 8th)
• ESPN: 13th (down from 7th)
  
• CBS Sports: 13th (down from 8th)
  
• FOX Sports: 13th (down from 7th)

I suppose this is no surprise. Regardless of the quality of the opponents, suffering back-to-back losses is going to negatively impact a team's perception. In this case, the Lions had an opportunity to show people that they belonged among the NFL's elite, but they really failed to deliver. As a result, they are now outside of the top 10.

Luckily for the Lions, their opponent this week is not one of the NFL's top teams. In fact, the Chicago Bears are 21st (SB Nation), 20th (NFL.com), 19th (ESPN), 19th (CBS Sports) and 20th (FOX Sports) in this week's power rankings. The Bears have jumped up quite a bit in recent weeks with back-to-back wins, but the Lions will try to make sure they head back in the other direction by handing them a loss on Thanksgiving.