2023 NFL Power Rankings: Detroit Lions

Young riser: TE Sam LaPorta

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

No two ways about it: This one was ugly -- to the point that Detroit's credentials must be questioned. The Lions allowed four TDs in their first four defensive series. On offense, they went three-and-out three straight times to open the game, then turned it over on downs. Everything after that was more or less immaterial. As tough to swallow as the Week 2 Seattle loss was, especially defensively, it was a close, hard-fought game, and Detroit came back to rip off four straight wins. How will the Lions respond to this defeat? The good news is that the Raiders are up next, followed by a Week 9 bye. There's time to bury this one. The season feels too special for anyone to get off the bandwagon now. We're not necessarily buying stock after Sunday, but we're certainly not dumping it, either.

That was a tough game at Baltimore, but it was the way they played that's a bad look. They got dominated in every facet of the game.

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.

One question: How will they bounce back?

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.

All the good things we've seen from the Lions still matter, but this was a moment they just weren't ready for. Baltimore blew them off the field in less than a half. They're still on top of the division, so there's no need to panic. But definitely a time to take stock of how that got so out of hand, so quickly.

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.

The good news for the Lions is they have A BUNCH of winnable games left.

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