12. Detroit Lions
Last week: 8th
The Lions snuck away from their Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints with a victory, but that dynamic offense made just enough plays against the Saints to hold them off.
Detroit's defense is an obvious area of concern after what we saw in the season opener. They gave up over 400 passing yards to Tyler Shough, and nearly blew a 21-0 lead. If they hadn't held the Saints on a 2-point conversion attempt in overtime, we would be talking about the Lions' epic Week 1 collapse.
So yes, even though the Lions won, they are dropping a bit on this week's NFL Power Rankings.
It felt like there were simply too many missed opportunities for Jared Goff in the passing game. His connection with Jameson Williams felt off in this one, and the trio of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Williams, and Sam LaPorta was only able to catch 19 of 31 total targets.
Again, it just wasn't a clean overall operation from the Lions, so the skepticism over this team's contender status will linger into Week 2.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
Last week: 16th
The Philadelphia Eagles only needed 10 first downs to beat the Washington Commanders in Week 1.
The big play was the Eagles' best friend, at least on the offensive side of the ball.
The Eagles got one big play after another from seemingly every major contributor on the offense. Jalen Hurts had some big-time throws in the game, as well as some really impressive runs. Saquon Barkley had big plays. Dallas Goedert might have been the star of the game with 77 yards and 2 TDs on just four receptions. Newcomer Dontayvion Wicks was in the mix, as well as obviously Devonta Smith.
But only 10 first downs? It's honestly impressive.
The Eagles won a hard-fought game against a division rival that came down to the wire, and they've got a road matchup next week against the Titans before a three-game gauntlet against the Bears, Rams, and Jaguars. They'll be tested in the first quarter of the season.
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