DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are one of the best teams in the NFC -- that much is clear. But who are the biggest threats standing between them and a Super Bowl appearance?
Let’s rank all 15 of Detroit’s NFC opponents.
1. Minnesota Vikings
- Record: 5-0.
- Games vs. Lions: Week 7 (Minneapolis), Week 18 (Detroit).
If you followed any of my Lions coverage last year, or if you watch Detroit Sports+, you know I’m a big believer in the Vikings. So their 5-0 start is all the confirmation bias I need to rank them No. 1.
Minnesota nearly made the playoffs last year with a bunch of department store mannequins at quarterback and Justin Jefferson missing seven games.
Now, Sam Darnold has the offense humming. The Vikings have already knocked off three of the most talented teams in the NFL -- the 49ers, Packers, and Texans -- so this doesn’t seem like a fluke.
We’ll know much more about how these two teams stack up after next weekend, when they meet with first place on the line in Minneapolis.
2. San Francisco 49ers
- Record: 3-3.
- Game vs. Lions: Week 17 (San Francisco).
I know they’re off to a slow start, but don’t discard the 49ers just yet.
Take out the COVID season and the 49ers have been to each of the past four NFC Championship Games -- not to mention a pair of Super Bowls.
It doesn’t really feel like the regular season matters to them. Once the playoffs roll around, their real season begins.
Playing without stud running back Christian McCaffrey has hurt, but he will be back at some point.
That said, it’s surprising that the 49ers couldn’t beat the Rams and Cardinals. It feels like they’re sleepwalking. Yet they’re still just 10 points away from being undefeated.
3. Green Bay Packers
- Record: 4-2.
- Games vs. Lions: Week 9 (Detroit), Week 14 (Green Bay).
It’s frustrating and unfair, but the Packers are really good again.
Green Bay survived two games without starting quarterback Jordan Love and currently owns the fourth-best point differential in the NFL (1. Vikings, 2. Lions, 3. Bears, 4. Packers).
Love is still shaking off some rust, and the Packers have played a pretty easy schedule, but only hard-fought losses to the Eagles and Vikings stand between the Packers and a 6-0 record.
And let’s not forget: This was one of the four or five best teams in the NFL from Thanksgiving on last year.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Record: 4-2.
- Game vs. Lions: Beat Lions in Week 2.
It’s time to give Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers some respect.
This was a division winner that advanced in the playoffs last season and took the Lions to the brink in Detroit.
Then, the Buccaneers marched into Ford Field in Week 2 and handed the Lions their only loss of this season.
Mayfield is completing over 70% of his passes and has 1,164 yards, 11 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He’s also rushed for 107 yards and a pair of scores.
The Buccaneers aren’t a one-trick pony, either. They have a stout defense and an improved running game with Bucky Irving.
Tampa Bay is even more dangerous now that it already owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Lions.
5. Washington Commanders
- Record: 4-2.
- Games vs. Lions: No regular-season matchup.
I’ve seen enough from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to know the Commanders are an actual problem.
Daniels has completed 77.1% of his passes for 1,135 yards, four touchdowns, and two picks through six games. He’s also rushed for 300 yards and four more scores.
The NFL isn’t supposed to be this easy, kid.
Washington went into Baltimore and played the Ravens tough for 60 minutes on Sunday, but ultimately lost for the first time since Week 1.
With the Cowboys and Eagles a bit discombobulated right now, who knows: Maybe the Commanders will win the NFC East.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
- Record: 3-2.
- Games vs. Lions: No regular-season matchup.
This could end up looking really stupid, but I just can’t shake the feeling that the Eagles will get things turned around.
Star receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith returned on Sunday and looked like their old selves. Saquon Barkley has been an excellent addition to an already dangerous offense.
And I don’t care what anyone says: Jalen Hurts is really freaking good.
One year ago, the Eagles were right up there with the 49ers as favorites to win the NFC. Maybe whatever went wrong will never get fixed, but if it does, this is a team to reckon with.
7. Chicago Bears
- Record: 4-2.
- Games vs. Lions: Week 13 (Detroit), Week 16 (Chicago).
You know what the Titans, Rams, Panthers, and Jaguars all have in common? They all have one win. And they’ve all played the Bears.
Weak schedule aside, I think the Bears are a pretty good team. They were very pesky last year, and since then, they’ve added a dynamic rookie quarterback and two excellent receivers to give them a trio of D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, and Keenan Allen.
But when your best win is against the 1-4 Rams, I need to see more.
8. Atlanta Falcons
- Record: 4-2.
- Games vs. Lions: No regular-season matchup.
Did you know the Falcons went on the road and beat the Eagles? They also beat the Buccaneers, and almost knocked off the undefeated Chiefs. That’s a pretty strong resume.
Kirk Cousins has (predictably) been a major upgrade for the Falcons at quarterback, completing 67.2% of his passes for 1,373 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions.
He’s got a nice array of weapons to work with, too, in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney, and Tyler Allgeier.
The Lions don’t play the Falcons, so this is a team to watch from afar in terms of playoff seeding. With wins over the Saints and Bucs, Atlanta already has the early inside track to the NFC South title.
9. Los Angles Rams
- Record: 1-4.
- Game vs. Lions: Lost to Lions in Week 1.
Don’t get me wrong: The Rams have been really bad so far. But I think that’s mostly a reflection of injuries, and not the actual talent of this roster.
Matthew Stafford is doing his best to keep the Rams afloat while Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are out with injuries, but the Rams have dropped back-to-back hard-fought games to the Bears and Packers since upsetting the 49ers.
At three games behind the Lions without the tiebreaker, I don’t think the Rams are worth monitoring in the regular season.
But if the Rams get healthy, this isn’t a team the Lions want to see in a playoff rematch.
10. New Orleans Saints
- Record: 2-4.
- Games vs. Lions: No regular-season matchup.
Despite the losing record, the Saints might actually be a pretty good team.
They had a halftime lead over the Buccaneers on Sunday before the wheels completely came off in the fourth quarter.
It was their fourth-straight loss, but there’s not much shame in losing to the Eagles and Falcons by a combined five points, or dropping a game in Kansas City.
New Orleans beat the Panthers and Cowboys by a combined score of 91-29 in the first two weeks, and that’s not easy to do to NFL teams. So this isn’t a bottom-feeder.
11. Dallas Cowboys
- Record: 3-3.
- Game vs. Lions: Lost to Lions in Week 6.
What the Lions did to the Cowboys on Sunday could (and should) be considered bullying. They didn’t just destroy them on the scoreboard -- they went out of their way to humiliate them.
The Lions tried three separate times to complete passes to offensive linemen -- Taylor Decker in the end zone, Penei Sewell inside the 10-yard line, and Dan Skipper out wide in the fourth quarter.
Dallas is without superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons, but still, to lose by 38 in your own stadium? Yikes. That was an ugly showing.
The Cowboys have managed to win three of their first six games, even as disgusting as some of these games have looked. So once they get healthy, there’s a good shot they’ll be in the playoff hunt.
But right now, this is just a bad football team.
12. Seattle Seahawks
- Record: 3-3.
- Game vs. Lions: Lost to Lions in Week 4.
Seattle is always a problem for the Lions, so it feels weird having the Seahawks all the way down at 12th.
But it’s hard not to wonder if that 3-0 start was more a reflection of the Seahawks' competition than their actual talent.
Denver isn’t bad, but the Patriots and Dolphins (without Tua Tagovailoa) are two of the worst teams in the league. Since then, the Seahawks are 0-3, including a loss to the Giants.
I think Seattle is capable of earning a wild card, but I also think this is a team that could finish with double-digit losses.
13. New York Giants
- Record: 2-4.
- Games vs. Lions: No regular-season matchup.
The Giants are pesky this season, especially on the road. They’ve already won in Cleveland and Seattle, and they nearly upset the Commanders.
I don’t think the Giants are a playoff contender, but this is a team that could play spoiler.
14. Arizona Cardinals
- Record: 2-4.
- Game vs. Lions: Lost to Lions in Week 3.
We might look back in January and view the Cardinals' win over the 49ers is one of the strangest outcomes of the year.
The score was close when the Lions went to Arizona, but they out-gained the Cardinals by almost 100 yards even though Jared Goff and the offense hadn’t woken up yet.
Kyler Murray is really good, and Marvin Harrison Jr. might be a star, but the Cardinals don’t feel like a playoff team this season.
15. Carolina Panthers
- Record: 1-5.
- Games vs. Lions: No regular-season matchup.
The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last season, and they’ve got a chance to defend their crown again this year.
All five of Carolina’s losses have been by double digits, and only one has been closer than 18 points.
Honestly, their win was probably just an accident. They won’t have many more.
The only danger the Panthers pose to the Lions comes from being a free win for other NFC contenders.
