Discussion: Are the Lions the best team in the NFL right now?

In the blink of an eye, the NFL went from having two undefeated teams to zero after the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers lost their respective games in heartbreaking fashion. It’s a reminder that the “Any Given Sunday” moniker is as true as ever. With those outcomes, the Detroit Lions now hold a share of the best record in the NFL at 5-1, tied with the Eagles, 49ers, Dolphins, and Chiefs. That’s some good company.

The Lions aren’t just winning, but dominating opponents with four straight victories by 14 or more points. They’re also 3-0 on the road, though it’s tough to call these true road games when half of the stadium is shaded Honolulu Blue.

Today’s Question of the Day is...

Are the Lions the best team in the NFL right now?

My answer: Yes.

Dan Campbell said it himself. If the Lions were to come out and beat the Chiefs in the NFL opener, then they would be expected to win every game. Well, that’s nearly what they did, and so far, they look like they can beat anyone—and they nearly have. Their only loss came to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, and had that coin flipped the other way in overtime, we could be talking about an undefeated Lions team right now.

The Lions are currently ranked behind the San Francisco 49ers in DVOA, and those are the only two teams in the NFL with both their offense and defense ranked in the top five. Both of these teams are playing at a high level on both sides of the ball, but I might give the edge to the Lions because of better quarterback play. No disrespect to Brock Purdy, who has had a heck of a season, but we saw what happened last week when he was finally forced to throw the ball without a comfortable lead, and it wasn’t pretty.

Whether or not you believe the Lions are the best team in the NFL, they’re proving each and every week that they at least deserve the consideration. Next week’s matchup against the 4-2 Baltimore Ravens will be another tough test on the road. It should be a fun one.