The Detroit Lions are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They have won fivr of their last six games, and the league is starting to take notice.
Pro Football Focus is one of the most popular analytics out there. They are known for evaluating players and teams on a deeper level. In their Week 15 power rankings, they have the Detroit Lions rising six spots to No. 15.
The Lions are just above the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars in the rankings. They are just behind the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets. While some may dismiss this rise, the stats say this is no fluke.
According to PFF, the Lions offense is firing on all cylinders lately.
"Since Week 8, no offense has generated more EPA per play than the Lions."
EPA stands for Estimated Points Added, and is a metric used to determine how efficient an offense is per play. No offense has been better or more efficient than the Lions since Week 8, as they are averaging 29 points per game in those seven weeks. PFF believes that this trend may continue.
"With first-round pick Jameson Williams in the fold, the Lions have playmakers to attack defenses on all three levels — Williams and D.J. Chark Jr. can do damage in the deep part of the field, while Amon-Ra St. Brown is the go-to guy in the intermediate range.According to our power rankings tool, the Lions have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL, and if Goff keeps up his level of play, Detroit might be able to make the playoffs as a wild-card team."
If they can take advantage of the rest of their schedule, the Lions could very well make the playoffs after a 1-6 start. The records of the teams remaining on their schedule are a combined 20-32, which is a winning percentage of .384. There is no doubt this season has been a step in the right direction for this franchise, but a playoff appearance would announce the return of the Lions to relevance.