The Detroit Lions’ (4-5) managed to secure another last-second victory, this time over the Washington Football Team. It took clutch performances from veterans Matthew Stafford and Marvin Jones to set up a 59-yard game-winning field goal from Matt Prater, who is now 22 of 22 when the game is on the line under 2-minutes in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Last-second heroics are fun to experience, but it appears it’s the Lions 4-5 record that seemed to influence the movement in this week’s national power rankings.
Let’s take a closer look at what the national analysts thought of the Lions’ victory and what the experts are saying this week.
Touchdown Wire: 22 (Previous: 28)
“Somehow, the Lions were able to pull out the win on a Matt Prater field goal on the final play, aided by a roughing the passer penalty committed by Chase Young to give the Lions life on their final drive.
“Given the next three weeks (games against Carolina, Houston and Chicago) the Lions might have a winning record at the end of that stretch. They’ll need to rattle off some wins, given the fact they end the year with games against Green Bay, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Minnesota.” — Mark Schofield
USA Today: 19 (Previous 21)
“Nice to see rookie RB D’Andre Swift have a breakthrough game with 149 total yards … but why did it take this long to start him?” — Nate Davis
NFL: 20 (Previous: 27)
“Listen, we don’t know how the Lions are 4-5, either. It snuck up on all of us, so let’s all just try to remain calm and see where this thing goes. Matt Prater’s 59-yard field goal as time expired was the difference on Sunday in a 30-27 win over the Washington Football Team. It snapped a seven-game home losing streak for the Lions at Ford Field, a stretch that covered more than a calendar year. Did they blow a 21-point lead to one of pro football’s least inspiring offenses? Yes. Have the Lions under Matt Patricia demonstrated repeatedly that they are allergic to extended success? Sure. But Detroit won’t play another team that currently has a winning record until the middle of December. A path to relevance is there. Will they take it?” — Dan Hanzus
ESPN: 22 (Previous: 25)
“What would they take back: The fourth-quarter strategy against Chicago. The Lions were up 17 points in the season opener against the Bears before suffering a collapse, resulting in a 27-24 defeat after D’Andre Swift dropped a pass in the end zone on the Lions’ final drive. The combination of Detroit’s conservative offensive play in the fourth quarter, a decision to try a long field goal that backfired and the team’s insistence on heavy man coverage turned a win into a loss and immediately altered the tenor of the season.” — Michael Rothstein
CBS Sports: 20 (Previous 22)
“They are now 4-5 and still in the playoff race. Matt Patricia always seems to win a game just when it looks like his time is up.” — Pete Prisco
Sports Illustrated: 19 (Previous: 26)
“Detroit feels like it’s cruising toward an 8–8 mark and a conversation over the future of the franchise.” — MMQB Staff
Sporting News: 19 (Previous: 20)
“The Lions are doing just enough to help Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn have a chance to stick around beyond 2020, but it might be a frustrating end as they might end up just outside of the playoff chase. At least their offense looks complete with Matthew Stafford and D’Andre Swift now.” — Vinnie Iyer