They’ve done it again.
It’s Week 8 of the NFL season and the Detroit Lions have plummeted to the 32nd and final spot in this week’s power rankings.
Frankly, it’s not a place I expected the Lions to be this fall.
Maybe the hope for them to take a step forward this year was fueled by “Hard Knocks,” but I thought the Lions would be closer to playoff contention than earning the No. 1 pick in next April’s draft.
Instead, six games into their season, the Lions (1-5) have the worst record in the NFL, the league’s longest current losing streak (four games, tied with the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns) and tentative control of that top pick.
The Houston Texans (1-4-1) are the only other one-win team in the league, but have a better winning percentage (.250 vs. the Lions’ .167) thanks to their Week 1 tie with the Indianapolis Colts. Seven teams currently have two wins, and amazingly three of those — the Browns, Broncos and New Orleans Saints — have traded away their first-round picks.
At least the Lions have their top choice, plus a second first-rounder from the Los Angeles Rams, who are barely clinging to a wild card berth right now, to look forward to in the spring.
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I’m on record as saying the Lions need to find their quarterback of the future, if possible, in this year’s draft. But looking at the projected draft order via Tankathon.com, that won’t be easy.
First, the Lions are shaping up to have one of the top strength of schedules in the league (their opponent win percentage ranks second behind the Green Bay Packers right now). That’s used to break ties in draft order.
Second, competition for whatever top quarterbacks emerge — Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis are potential top-10 picks right now — could be fierce with the Texans and Carolina Panthers among those sure to be quarterback-hunting next spring and stocked with plenty of ammunition to make trades.
The Texans currently hold the second and fifth picks in the draft (No. 5 is via the Browns), while the Panthers have the third pick and extra picks in Rounds 2 and 4 from last week’s Christian McCaffrey trade.
The Panthers and Texans, not surprisingly, are 30th and 31st in the power rankings,
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Week 8 NFL power rankings
1. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)
2. Buffalo Bills (5-1)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
4. Minnesota Vikings (5-1)
5. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
6. Tennessee Titans (4-2)
7. New York Giants (6-1)
8. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
10. Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
11. New York Jets (5-2)
12. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
13. Miami Dolphins (4-3)
14. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
15. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)
17. Green Bay Packers (3-4)
18. Indianapolis Colts
19. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)
20. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)
21. New England Patriots (3-4)
22. Cleveland Browns (2-5)
23. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)
24. Denver Broncos (2-5)
25. Chicago Bears (3-4)
26. Washington Commanders (3-4)
27. New Orleans Saints (2-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
30. Carolina Panthers (2-5)
31. Houston Texans (1-4-1)
32. Detroit Lions (1-5)
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.