NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Eagles look to keep NFC East race interesting

28. Detroit Lions

Deep down, the Detroit Lions knew they were going to be in for a rude awakening on Sunday when facing the Los Angeles Rams after seeing how the two teams compared on paper. While the Rams are currently in the mix for earning a top seed in the NFC playoffs, the Lions have been sitting comfortable at the bottom of the NFC North, as Matt Patricia’s first season as head coach hasn’t exactly been the smoothest ride in the world.

Despite keeping things close over the first three quarters, Detroit allowed Los Angeles to pull away with the victory in the final quarter of action, making it officially five losses in the last six games for the Lions. Originally, Detroit seemed like a team that would be a potential sleeper in the NFC from a contender standpoint, but it’s clear this team is still at least another year or two away from jumping into that category.

Once again, questions are beginning to emerge over whether Matthew Stafford deserves to be considered a top quarterback in the league since he just can’t seem to get on the elite level the Lions need from him. While there have been times in which Stafford was known to make his teammates surrounding him better, this has been far from the case in 2018.