The Lions Are Being Disrespected Again And Honestly, We Should Be Used To This By Now
The Los Angeles Rams went out and traded for Myles Garrett, and suddenly everyone is ready to hand them the Lombardi Trophy before they even step on the field. Sure, they had the highest scoring offense last season and just added some serious defensive pieces in Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson. Fine. They look good on paper.
But since when has paper won football games? If it did, we would have won a Super Bowl during the Calvin Johnson years just by showing up.
The question everyone is asking is where the Lions rank in the NFC for the 2026 season, and the answers are frustrating as hell. FanDuel has Detroit sitting fourth in NFC Championship odds at +900, behind the Rams (+350), Seahawks (+550), and 49ers (+850). The Eagles are right behind us at +950, which feels about right for a team that looked lost for half of last season.
The Power Rankings Paint An Even Grimmer Picture
If you enjoy torturing yourself with power rankings, the Lions are getting buried. ESPN has them seventh in the NFC and 11th overall, behind the Seahawks, Rams, Eagles, Packers, 49ers, and Bears. Fox Sports also puts them seventh in the conference but somehow drops them to 15th overall, behind the Rams, Seahawks, Eagles, Bears, 49ers, and Packers. Pro Football Network shows a little more respect at sixth in the NFC and 10th overall, behind the Rams, Seahawks, 49ers, Bears, and Packers.
All of these rankings suggest Detroit is barely a playoff team, scraping by while teams like the Bears and Packers get more respect. The Bears! A franchise that has been searching for a quarterback since the Eisenhower administration suddenly gets ranked ahead of a Lions team that made back-to-back playoff appearances.
There is one voice of reason in this mess. ESPN’s Mike Clay has the Lions’ roster ranked fourth best in the entire NFL, trailing only the Rams, Ravens, and Eagles. At least somebody is paying attention to what Brad Holmes has been building in Allen Park.
The Rams And Seahawks Are In Their Own Tier
Look, I can admit when other teams are better. The Rams and Seahawks have rosters that are currently on another level. The gap in NFC Championship odds between those two and everyone else makes sense. They earned that respect.
But after those two? The Lions belong in the conversation with the Eagles, 49ers, Packers, and Bears. Not behind them. Not as an afterthought. Right there with them.
If the additions along the offensive and defensive lines prove to be difference-makers, there is no reason Detroit cannot finish third in these rankings. The moves Holmes made could be exactly what this roster needed. But if the offensive line struggles again and the pass rush efficiency remains an issue, then we are probably looking at more of the same results from last year.
This Feels Like Familiar Territory
Getting overlooked is nothing new for this franchise. We have been here before, watching everyone else get hyped while Detroit gets treated like an afterthought. Maybe that is exactly where we want to be. Maybe being the fourth or fifth choice in the NFC means less pressure and more opportunity to surprise people.
Or maybe we are just setting ourselves up for another year of explaining why we deserve more respect while other teams get all the preseason love.
Are we getting disrespected or are these rankings actually fair? Tell me in the comments where you think the Lions really stack up in the NFC.
