Week 6 power rankings: Lions back to the middle of the pack

The Detroit Lions upset the Philadelphia Eagles last week, pushing their record to 2-3 and saving any chances to make the postseason, however small they still remain. The Eagles were considered one of the best teams in the NFL after four weeks, so it comes as no surprise that the Lions took a big jump in most power rankings this week.

After their loss to the Bears, the Lions ranked in the bottom ten in all of the power rankings we list each week. However, after their big win on Sunday, Detroit ranks just below average according to most experts.

• SB Nation: 22nd (up 7)
• NFL.com: 19th (up 3)
• Yahoo! Sports: 20th (up 2)
• CBS Sports: 22nd (up 8)
• USA Today: 21st (up 6)
• ESPN: 20th (up 5)

Interestingly, there isn’t much disagreement on the Lions this week. They rank between 19th and 22nd in all of the power rankings, while last week they were anywhere from 22nd to 30th.

There is a lot less agreement on where Detroit’s next opponent ranks among the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams are 3-2 on the year, but have been very inconsistent through five weeks. They managed to take down the Arizona Cardinals on the road, but started the season with an embarrassing 28-0 loss to the 49ers and just dropped a game at home to the Bills.

That inconsistency has led to confusion among power rankings. No one knows if this is a potential playoff team, or someone who will finish in the bottom half of the league. Here’s where the Rams rank through five games.

• SB Nation - 19th
• NFL.com - 12th
• Yahoo! Sports - 19th
• CBS Sports - 15th
• USA Today - 14th
• ESPN - 19th