The Detroit Lions are coming off a tough loss against their divisional rivals, but they were expected to, and aren't really battling for the lead in the NFC North anyway. No, the Lions have their eyes firmly set on a wildcard birth, and more specifically, are noting that the Chicago Bears are now without Jay Cutler and Detroit's chances of making the playoffs have significantly increased. They remain one of the top teams, but are falling slightly in most power rankings.
Fox Sports drops them out of the top ten in their Week 13 NFL power rankings:
11. Detroit's loss didn't impact its wild-card chances as much as it could have with the Bears and Giants also losing. With New Orleans, Oakland and Green Bay still left on Detroit's schedule, the Lions are facing the real chance of missing the playoffs. They have found a fix in Kevin Smith to provide a burst to the running game (if he can stay healthy), but on the flip side, Detroit hasn't been able to stop the run on defense, giving up more than 127 yards per game.
That's down two spots from last week, but there are other teams going up who got in the way. Detroit does face a tough upcoming schedule, but remaining near the top ten is a good sign for the team moving forward.
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