The Detroit Lions got smacked in the mouth by the Baltimore Ravens. The big question the rest of the week is how will NFL media respond? Will they go full “Lions are fraud?” or will they be reasonable. The other question is will they have the same feelings about a 49ers team that’s lost back to back games against teams with losing records? Let’s take a look.
ESPN: 9th
Previous ranking: 5th
“The 22-year-old rookie has been a steady target for Lions quarterback Jared Goff so far this season. The second-round pick is the first tight end in NFL history to log at least three receptions and 35 receiving yards in each of the first seven games of his career. LaPorta said the learning curve for him and his rookie teammates was “much quicker” than for other rookies around the league because the Lions needed them to contribute immediately. “Which we liked,” LaPorta told ESPN. “We want to play at the highest level. We want to contribute to the success of this team. We didn’t want to feel like we were so-called rookies. We wanted to contribute in a positive way.” -Eric Woodyard
49ers rank: 3rd
The Sporting News: 7th
Previous ranking: 5th
“The Lions’ defense crashed in Baltimore as they couldn’t handle the dual threat of Lamar Jackson and their coverage breakdowns caught up to them, big-time. Their offense was put in an impossible one-dimensional position with Jared Goff. They need to prove the next step as a good young team by shaking it off, fast.” -Vinnie Iyer
49ers rank: 4th
USA Today: 6th
Previous ranking: 2nd
“That resounding thud you heard was the end of a 15-game streak of scoring at least 20 points and a 17-game run of at least double-digit points.” – Nate Davis
49ers rank: 3rd
Yahoo Sports: 6th
Previous ranking: 2nd
“The Lions aren’t bad. We just need to recalibrate after Sunday’s blowout loss. Great teams usually aren’t trailing anyone 35-0, like Detroit was at the Ravens on Sunday. Only two Super Bowl champs (1994 49ers, 2000 Buccaneers) suffered a loss of 32 or more points. That’s OK. We just need to slow down the talk about the Lions being perhaps the best team in the NFC. They’re going to win the NFC North, be a tough out in the playoffs and if everything breaks right make a good run. That’s a great season for a Lions team that hasn’t won a division title in 30 years.” -Frank Schwab
49ers rank: 3rd
The Athletic: 6th
Previous ranking: 3rd
“After being the league’s feel-good story through the first third of the season, Detroit got pummeled Sunday. Baltimore had 503 yards and averaged 9.1 yards per play, the most by any team not named the Dolphins in a game this season. Jared Goff had a quarterback rating of 68.4. The Lions were third in the league in yards (383.7) and fourth in points (28) through six weeks but fell behind 35-0 Sunday. Coach Dan Campbell said he thinks the game will “re-center” his team, but they don’t have a lot of institutional confidence to fall back on.” – Josh Kendall
49ers rank: 5th
Sports Illustrated: 7th
Previous ranking: 7th
“As I wrote on Sunday, I am not taking a real big-picture view of this Lions loss. Sometimes in the NFL, you’re going to get clubbed because you’re still figuring stuff out. I think this is where I want to explain why I previously had the team No. 7, which sent some of Lions Twitter into a tailspin. The Power Rankings are living, breathing thing. The Buccaneers did a good job of taking away some of their core running concepts, and, like a lot of run-dominant teams, I was curious to see how they would reinvent themselves. I wanted to see the Lions’ counterpunch. I have no doubt it’s there, but what is the harm in putting them as the SEVENTH BEST (read: still very good) until we figure out what that looks like?” – Connor Orr
49ers rank: 3rd