The Detroit Lions might not be leading the NFC North, but they're certainly separating themselves from the divisional pack as we get past the halfway mark of the 2025 season.
Green Bay still controls their destiny within the division, but Detroit is right behind them at 6-3. While they're also tied with the Chicago Bears, the Lions simply feel like the team less likely to be a paper tiger between the two. And, there's one metric that seems to back up that notion: DVOA.
DVOA, or defense adjusted value over average, measures a teams' success on each play compared to that of the league average. The higher the DVOA, the more successful your team is on both sides of the field compared to the average of all 32 NFL teams. The lower it is, the less success you find yourself to be.
Detroit's DVOA through nine weeks of action sits at 32.9%, which is good for fourth overall in the NFL. This also lands them in elite company alongside the 1-seeded Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, and Los Angeles Rams.
Lions amidst elite company in latest rankings
Notably, the Bears - who are again tied with the Lions in the NFC North standings - sit 24th overall in DVOA (-13.6%). Chicago has gotten some flak over the last few weeks over several blown leads that have still resulted in wins. But, it has shown they have flaws they need to address, both with their defense and their play-calling.
Chicago will be hosting the Lions for both teams' season finale, and it could be a deciding factor in who lands a postseason spot. Of course, the Bears are also facing down the reality that their strength of schedule is the toughest remaining out of the entire NFL. They have two games against the Packers, and games against the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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It's good to see that the Lions, despite what some felt was a slump offensively over the last few weeks, are still keeping up with the best teams in the NFL.
Keeping pace with these teams - which are mostly in the NFC - shows that Detroit isn't as hard-pressed as it has seemed like they are. At 6-3, Detroit has the opportunity to experiment more with Dan Campbell's play-calling and to really get teams on their heels in the coming weeks.