Where does the Lions offense rank in the NFL?

Back in June, in a piece for ESPN, Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 NFL teams by looking at their current rosters. The Detroit Lions came in 11th overall and seventh in the NFC, suggesting that they should at least be in the mix for a playoff spot this year.

On Monday, in another piece for ESPN, PFF ranked all 32 offenses in the NFL by looking at each team's quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and offensive line. The Lions came in ninth overall and sixth in the NFC, and they had the following rankings for their position groups:

Quarterbacks: 11th
Running backs: 4th
Receivers: 6th
Offensive line: 13th

I'm a bit surprised that the offensive line isn't higher, and I'm equally surprised that the receivers are in the top 10. That group is clearly better this year with the addition of Golden Tate, and having Calvin Johnson is obviously a huge advantage, but they still seem to be lacking proven depth beyond the top two.

In any case, clearly PFF feels pretty good about the Lions offense as a whole. In the NFC North, they're behind only the Green Bay Packers (third), and they're just ahead of the Minnesota Vikings (11th) and Chicago Bears (13th). If Matthew Stafford steps it up this year and the offensive line proves that their outstanding 2013 season wasn't a fluke, perhaps we could see the Lions offense jump up to the top of the division and into the top five in the NFL next year.