Week 5 power rankings: Detroit Lions fall, defense hammered by national media

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talks to a referee after a play against Carolina Panthers during the first half at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co

The Detroit Lions (2-2) have played in front of a national audience twice this season, and both primetime road games ended in losses. But the Lions didn't just lose on the national stage; their defense was exposed, and regardless of what the offense was able to accomplish, it wasn't nearly enough to overcome the hole the defense dug for them.

As you might expect, getting beat up on a national stage brought negative national attention, and in this week's power rankings, the Lions dropped on every analyst's list, with each laying heavy blame on the defense for the team's early-season struggles.

Let's take a closer look.

The Athletic: 12 (Previous rank: 6)

From Chad Graff and Josh Kendall:

Concern level: Is this just what the defense is?

This season, the Lions were supposed to be good enough to take advantage of an easy schedule. Instead, they're coming off a loss because they couldn't slow down Bryce Young, who threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, and the vaunted(?) Panthers offense. The secondary is going to have nightmares about Tetairoa McMillan (14 receptions, 192 yards and two touchdowns).

USA Today: 15 (Previous rank: 10)

From Nate Davis:

They're certainly leaning on their stars, RB Jahmyr Gibbs with the most touches (102) in the league and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (46) with the most targets. Gonna be hard to deviate from that formula given how bad the league's most permissive defense has been ... a state of affairs that seems unlikely to change any time soon.

ESPN: 16 (Previous rank: 13)

From ESPN Staff, excerpt from Eric Woodyard:

Four words to describe the first four weeks: Are you not entertained?"

Like the famous line from the 2000 film Gladiator," you're guaranteed some level of entertainment with this 2026 Lions team. Detroit scored at least 31 points in three of four games while also allowing 30 or more points in each. After the Week 3 win over the Jets, even coach Dan Campbell had to jokingly admit the Lions are worth the price of admission. Tell you what, you're coming to our games? You're loving this now," Campbell said. I mean, these are exciting games. ... Nobody's leaving early. And that was the point. We're not going to let anybody leave early this year."

NFL.com: 16 (Previous rank: 14)

From Nick Shook:

We saw on Sunday night that the key to beating the Lions is doing everything possible to bottle up Jahmyr Gibbs. A less effective Gibbs meant Jared Goff was forced to look elsewhere, leading to a couple of fruitless drives in the fourth quarter of a winnable game that ended in a loss. Detroit's defense couldn't limit Bryce Young, and its offense encountered a collection of potholes in crunch time.

Sporting News: 18 (Previous rank: 11)

From Vinnie Iyer:

The Lions' defense has been terrible for most of the season, save for Aidan Hutchinson. That's putting too much on Jared Goff when Jahmyr Gibbs gets contained, like he was at Carolina.

Sports Illustrated: 18 (Previous rank: 14)

From Connor Orr:

A tip for Amon-Ra St. Brown: if you would like the quarterback of the Detroit Lions to come back on your podcast, you can't blow him up for being a distant teammate on the first visit!

Yahoo Sports: 19 (Previous rank: 13)

From Frank Schwab:

Detroit's defense isn't good enough to make the Lions scary to anyone. Detroit is allowing 423.8 yards per game, and no other NFL team is giving up more than 392.3. Detroit has allowed 127 points, most in the NFL. On Sunday against the Panthers, Tetairoa McMillan torched the secondary for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 14 catches.

It's bad enough that head coach Dan Campbell was asked afterward if defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard could be relieved of his duties.

I'm not talking about all that," Campbell told the media after Sunday's loss. I'm talking about getting better right now, with what we've got, and that's what we're going to do. We're going to find a way to get better with what we've got."

Campbell might not want to talk about it, but the Lions aren't going anywhere with a defense this bad.

CBS Sports: 20 (Previous rank: 12)

From Pete Prisco:

The defense is horrible. Even their good offense can't overcome how bad they are right now.