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The Detroit Lions had a solid opportunity to pick up a marquee win in Week 12, but they eventually fell to the Houston Texans in overtime. The 34-31 game was very back-and-forth, but Detroit has lost those kind of games all season, as evidenced by their 4-7 record. Many expected them to make the jump into the NFL's elite this year, but they clearly have not done so.
Joel Thorman of SB Nation released his Week 13 NFL power rankings on Tuesday, and he's got the Lions down at No. 19, firmly in the bottom half of the NFL.
19. Detroit Lions (LW: 19, 4-7): The bad Lions are back. I kinda enjoyed when they were a good team last year.
They're "back," because the Lions have been among the NFL's worst for many seasons, with the 2011 campaign being the exception to the rule, it seems. They can only finish 9-7 at best, which in this year's NFC, will likely not equal a playoff spot.
Thorman's placement at No. 19 is the same spot they were last week. For context, the division rival Minnesota Vikings are two spots up at No. 17, while both the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears occupy spots in the top ten. Teams like the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans are just below Detroit in this week's rankings.