20. L.A. Chargers (+0)
The L.A. Chargers are on bye and don’t play this week, but their position in the power rankings will be reflected in the next rankings.
19. Detroit Lions (+3)
The biggest thing to happen in this game is that the Lions got a lead and kept a lead despite all odds. History has told me that was next to impossible, but somehow they did it!
Seriously though, it was great to see D’Andre Swift have a big game and he and Adrian Peterson looked like a great tandem of running backs. In fact, this game was the perfect example of what the Lions have been trying to build, which is a team that has a variety of weapons on offense and a few playmakers on defense.
Now, you may think that this is awfully high for a team that has only beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals, but they had a tough slate coming into this game. Taking a step back, the Lions won two games they should have won, and then they had one-score games with two of the better teams in the NFL in the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints.
Maybe this team isn’t as bad as we have been making them out to be, and if they can just spend the next four weeks beating teams that they should beat then they could be 5-4 and eying a playoff spot.