Putting the beatdown on the Cowboys in Dallas certainly helped the national credibility of the Detroit Lions as top Super Bowl contenders. In fact, the 47-9 blowout lifted the Lions to the top spot in ESPN’s ever-adaptive Football Power Index.
In the last daily update of the index, the Lions win in Week 6 catapulted Detroit from No. 4 to No. 1. They effectively swapped spots with the San Francisco 49ers, who previously held the top spot. A pair of AFC teams, the Ravens and Chiefs, are ranked in between last year’s NFC Championship Game combatants.
The validity of the FPI gets put to the test in Week 7, with the Lions and Vikings hooking up for the first divisional game of the season for Detroit. Minnesota sits at No. 8 in the FPI despite being unbeaten through Week 6, a reflection of their easier schedule and upcoming schedule, which is factored into the FPI. Injuries are factored as well, which means the index took Aidan Hutchinson’s devastating loss into account.
The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily.
Dallas dropped seven spots to No. 21 after being on the wrong end of the lopsided matchup with Detroit.