Tag: NFL power poll

Lions creeping up in ESPN’s preseason NFL power poll

Lions creeping up in ESPN’s preseason NFL power poll, moving up from where they finished in 2019

The preseason NFL power poll from the folks at ESPN is now complete. The analysts from all the teams showed a little respect for the progress going on with the Detroit Lions.

The poll ranks the Lions 25th out of the 32 NFL teams. That represents an uptick from the end of the 2019 season, where the Lions finished with the third-worst (or 30th-best) record at 3-12-1.

The team writers were also tasked with identifying the person on the team most on the hot seat. Mike Rothstein went with the safe and obvious answer in GM Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia, who have already been given a “win or else” mandate for 2020.

Browns rank 20th in ESPN’s preseason power poll

The Browns are 3rd in the AFC North rankings

The latest of the NFL preseason power polls comes courtesy of ESPN. It took a little scrolling down to find the Cleveland Browns in ESPN’s list. Kevin Stefanski’s team checks in at No. 20 of 32.

Sandwiched between the Arizona Cardinals and the Las Vegas Raiders, the Browns are a distant third amongst AFC North teams. Baltimore is firmly planted at No. 2 and the Pittsburgh Steelers are No. 13. Cincinnati is up to No. 30 from the bottom ranking pre-draft.

In addition to the rankings, each ESPN team writer listed the person on the team with the hottest seat. As expected, QB Baker Mayfield earned the nod from Jake Trotter. Mayfield is the only realistic option for that honor in Cleveland in 2020.

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Browns begin training camp ranked in the lower-middle of the NFL pack

The good news: The Browns are ahead of the Steelers

The onset of training camp means the onslaught of NFL power rankings also kicks off in full force. They’re largely meaningless to the team or players, but it does give a baseline view of how the team is perceived from the rest of the NFL’s eyes.

Over at Touchdown Wire, those eyes see the Browns in the lower-middle of the NFL pack. Cleveland comes in at No. 19 in their pre-camp polling.

Much of the commentary focuses on the coaching change from Freddie Kitchens to Kevin Stefanski. The new coach has a lot of talent at his disposal, but like Kitchens, he’s a rookie tasked with quickly mastering the jump from coordinator to head man.

Baker Mayfield’s progress, or lack thereof in 2019, also weighs heavily in the ranking,

“Of course, this all depends on Baker Mayfield. Despite what he showed at the end of his rookie season under interim head coach Freddie Kitchens, he could not duplicate his success in year two with Kitchens installed as the head coach.”

Browns fans can take some solace that the team is ranked ahead of rival Pittsburgh. The Steelers are No. 20.

Lions rank an underwhelming 26th in Touchdown Wire’s summer power poll

Lions rank an underwhelming 26th in Touchdown Wire power poll

The first summer NFL power poll from our friends at Touchdown Wire is now out. If Lions fans are hoping for praise and optimism for the team after an active offseason of moves, this poll is probably going to disappoint.

Detroit checks in at No. 26 on the list. That is upward movement from finishing 30th in the NFL in 2019, but it’s not a significant climb. In fact, most of the teams they leapfrogged (Carolina, Jacksonville, New York Jets) have fallen more on their own issues than anything great Detroit has done.

The explanation begins with some bitterness that is a common national perception of the Lions under GM Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia,

Head coach Matt Patricia’s strategy of late has mirrored what most former Bill Belichick assistants have done — get rid of your best players who talk too much, and fill the roster with as many Patriots castoffs as possible.

It’s not all grim, but it’s clear just how much is riding on a healthy Matthew Stafford returning under center in 2020,

“the only way the Lions will ascend their 3-12-1 record in 2020 is for Matthew Stafford to return from his injury-shortened 2019 season and play at the career peak he was before a back injury limited him to just eight games.”

The Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers, Saints and Buccaneers are the top five. Cincinnati, Washington and the Jets are the bottom three.

King: Lions ‘treaded water’ in offseason, land at 26th in NBC’s power poll

Peter King: The Detroit Lions ‘treaded water’ in the offseason and land at 26th in NBC’s power poll

In his preseason NFL power poll, NBC Sports’ Peter King pulls no punches with the Detroit Lions.

King slots the Lions at No. 26 overall, sandwiched between the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals. Coming off an injury-ravaged, 3-12-1 season where Detroit finished 30th in the league, that might seem like progress. But King is skeptical of coach Matt Patricia’s defense, which underwhelmed in 2019.

Detroit basically treaded water in the offseason, trading ace cornerback Darius Slay to Philadelphia and using the third pick in the draft on his replacement, Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah. He’ll play opposite new cornerback Desmond Trufant, who comes from Atlanta after a disappointing end there. Patricia’s D needs to show progress after allowing a gaudy 24.5 points a game in his first two years, not the kind of performance the Lions expected when they hired the Belichick disciple two years ago.

The optimism stems from the offense and QB Matthew Stafford, who is returning from what was a fantastic season before a broken back sidelined him after just eight games.

King concludes the Lions section with this telling, unintentionally punny quip,

“I won’t be shocked if Detroit contends, because the Lions will score. The big question is the D.”

The reigning champion Chiefs sit at No. 1, while the Jaguars bring up the rear.

Lions moving in the wrong direction in mid-free agency power poll

Lions moving in the wrong direction in the mid-free agency power poll from Touchdown Wire

The Detroit Lions have been one of the more active teams in free agency and player movement this offseason. Alas, the moves have not exactly been received as well as hoped by many observers.

That includes our brother site Touchdown Wire, which covers all 32 teams. The basic theme for the Lions in the updated NFL power ranking channels Shania Twain,

“That don’t impress me much.”

Adding Jamie Collins, Hal Vaitai, Danny Shelton and others are weighed against losing Darius Slay (via trade), Rick Wagner, Devon Kennard and more. And the result is a net negative that sends the Lions down a notch from 29th to No. 30 in the latest rankings,

some of these moves are genuine head-scratchers. Halapoulivaati Vaitai has potential, but his strength is more as a run blocker and he might need help in pass protection designs. Jamie Collins flashed at times for New England but faded down the stretch, much like their defense did as a whole

It’s not a pretty summation of the Lions offseason so far. It also focuses on the drawbacks without playing up any real positive potential.