Week 9 NFL power rankings: Are the Lions a bottom-half team now?

Now on a three-game slide, the Detroit Lions are clearly not the team we thought they were after two weeks. It seems like ages ago that we were discussing whether it was really possible that Detroit could be a top two team. The discussion has drastically changed in less than a month.

Now it’s hard to say whether Detroit is even a top half team in the league. Right now there are 17 teams in a better position than the Lions’ disappointing 3-4 record.

But are the Lions a better team than their record shows? According to Week 9’s power rankings, the answer is not really clear. Check it out.

SB Nation (“hope rankings”): 18th (up 1)
ESPN: 15th (up 1)
Washington Post: 26th (down 5)
Bleacher Report (Simms): 15th (up 1)
Yahoo! Sports: 16th (down 2)
USA Today: 16th (no change)
CBS: 21st (down 1)
NFL.com: 18th (down 1)

Though the Lions appear to be in free-fall, they are still widely considered a better team than the Packers. Pundits appear to have lost all faith in Green Bay now that Aaron Rodgers is out for the next two months or so. Despite having a 4-3 record and coming off a bye last week, the Packers are ranked no higher than 16th, with most power rankings placing them firmly in the 20s.

Take a look.

SB Nation (“hope rankings”): 26th
ESPN: 16th
Washington Post: 20th
Bleacher Report (Simms): 24th
Yahoo! Sports: 22nd
USA Today: 22nd
CBS: 18th
NFL.com: 23rd

As it turns out, despite having a worse record, the Lions are ranked above the Packers in six out of eight power rankings. Detroit will have a chance to prove those analysts right on Monday night, as they head into a huge game in Lambeau.