After a feel-good win against the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions find themselves in a great spot within a contentious NFC North.
Key divisional games for the Lions are what sunk the team in 2025. They were only able to sweep the Chicago Bears, but went 0-4 against the rest of the division. So, this was a win in a few ways: it showed the Lions can be strong against divisional talent, they can piece together a win streak, and they have the ability to get better each week.
That's what places them 2nd in these Week 7 NFC North rankings, as it's only right to place the only undefeated team in the league at first overall.
NFC North power ranking through Week 7
4. Green Bay Packers (4-3)
The Packers continue to tread water, with their latest loss to the Lions possibly the most frustrating for fans to bear. Trey Smack missed two very short distance field goals for the team in Week 7, in addition to having a key drop from newly returned Josh Jacobs in the end zone that would've likely sealed a win in their favor.
Couple that with some questionable calls from Matt LaFleur, and questionable calls from referees, and it was just a disaster-class to behold.
Jordan Love can only do so much with such a shoddy offensive line protecting him, and working to generate any sort of run blocking. Injuries might be the teams' undoing this season, similarly to what did the Lions in throughout 2025.
3. Chicago Bears (5-2)
Here's where things get truly contentious. The Bears have been astounding this season, in much thanks to their high-flying offense led by Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson. The match made in heaven that so many people were clamoring to see develop is finally looking like the phenomenal pairing we all expected it to be.
Chicago definitely has some question marks over their defense, especially within their secondary. They've also got an issue with dropped passes and their rushing, which is surprising given how consistently they've been scoring at a high clip this year. But, they're only improving, which is a scary prospect for the Lions. They face each other for the first time in Week 12, on Thanksgiving.
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2. Detroit Lions (4-2)
We give a bump to the Lions over the Bears here for the simple fact that Detroit's offense feels slightly more reliable than Chicago's right now. Jahmyr Gibbs did suffer a lost fumble in Week 7, and Cade Mays contributed directly to two turnovers in that game (including Gibbs' fumble), but these are things that aren't a part of the normal fabric of this Lions offense.
What's a true piece to that fabric, though, is Jared Goff's zero interceptions on the year. Turnovers matter, and Goff wants no part in making them matter for the worse.
Goff, Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and most of the Lions' offensive line have been stellar to begin this season. On defense, their biggest question mark remains whether the secondary's last two games, in which they defended the pass far better and looked stickier in coverage, can actually maintain an average level of play.
If they can, I'd say you can book the Lions as a legitimate threat to win the division. If they can't, Detroit might find themselves in the same boat as Green Bay - treading water.
1. Minnesota Vikings (6-0)
Let's get the negatives out of the way for Minnesota first: they still don't have a quarterback, nor do they have a successful offense. The team just watched J.J. McCarthy look like a solid signal caller for the New York Giants in a walk-off win, while Kyler Murray once against struggled to generate any positive yardage other than with his legs.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, we can talk about the only undefeated team in the NFL.
The Vikings' defense is astounding. They've got a team total DVOA of 17.3 percent, and much of that is due to the success of their top ranked defense. They're smothering opponents with their blitzing, and then making them pay if they manage to even get a pass out. You face off with the Vikings to go watch your offense crumble.
"The Vikings are not just a top-five defense, though. They're No. 1, and it isn't particularly close. Through six games, Minnesota is allowing 1.1 points per possession. To put that in context, there's only one other team in the NFL allowing fewer than 1.7 points per drive, and that's the defending champion Seahawks at 1.4. After allowing the Packers to score two touchdowns in the first half of Week 1, Flores' defense has allowed a total of four offensive touchdowns over the ensuing five and a half games."
This is likely to be the Lions' biggest challenge of the season. Goff is the best drop back quarterback in the NFL, and has performed admirably against the blitz this season: he's sitting at 0.32 EPA/play against the blitz, and a league-best 21.71 total EPA against the blitz, per Sumer Sports.
And yet...you can't help but hear the Jaws theme music in your head when thinking of the Vikings coming to town next weekend.
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