Week 3 NFL power rankings: Lions fall, but not far

When you lose a home game in the NFL, you’re going to get panned for it. When you lose to a team that is perceived to be terrible—like the Tennessee Titans—you’re typically going to get buried. But after that disappointing loss, the Lions really didn’t fall all that much in most power rankings.

Perhaps it’s the fact that only eight teams in the NFL remain undefeated. Perhaps it’s because the Lions held the lead for all but 1:13 against the Titans. Either way, the Lions are still considered among the middle of the pack in most power rankings. Take a look:

• SB Nation: 26th (down 4)
• NFL.com: 18th (down 1)
• Yahoo! Sports: 18th (down 3)
• CBS Sports: 24th (down 8)
• Mile High Report: 17-30 (they cheated and stuck 14 teams together)
• USA Today: 20th (down 4)
• ESPN: 20th (up 2)

Yes, I double-checked that ESPN power ranking twice. If you’re keeping score, ESPN dropped the Lions two spots after beating the Colts on the road, and now propped the Lions up those same two spots after losing to the Titans at home. Common sense isn’t always common sense, I suppose.

If the Lions want to start trending in the right direction on the other six power rankings, they’ll have to pull off a huge upset in Week 3. The Lions will travel to Lambeau to face the Green Bay Packers. Despite their dramatic loss to the Vikings on “Sunday Night Football,” many still consider the Packers among the league’s best. Green Bay ranks 13th (SB Nation), 8th (NFL.com, 10th (Yahoo!), 8th (CBS), 10th (Mile High Report), 8th (USA Today) and 9th (ESPN) in the respective sites’ power rankings.