After a gutsy 19-15 win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions find themselves in 2nd place within a division where every single team has a winning record.
Eat your heart out, NFC South.
The NFC North is likely to remain a powerhouse of a division, although, Sunday's win over the Vikings might've proved that Minnesota is a lot worse for wear than their record would actually reflect. Detroit managed to shut off their water - yes, Detroit's subpar secondary - and looked like the more dominant unit overall en route to handing the Vikings their first loss of the season.
That proves that no one's impervious in the division, and also (possibly scarily) proves that the Lions haven't even played the toughest team in the division yet. That honor, at this point, goes to the Chicago Bears.
However, this win pushes the Lions up our power ranking through Week 8, and they're currently looking like the team to beat until proven otherwise.
NFC North power ranking through Week 8
4. Minnesota Vikings (6-1, 2-1 against the NFC North)
I know, I know - how in the world can I put a six-win team in last place? It makes no sense, on paper.
However, zooming out on the Vikings' season so far, it's not hard to understand how it feels like they're the worst positioned team in the division right now. Wins against the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears to open up their year feel a little more fraudulent right now - weather, and a Caleb Williams injury, were a humongous factor in their Bears win. As for their Packers victory, it came on the back of their vaunted defense.
In their loss to the Lions, you could see how it's easy to project quite a few more losses coming up for Minnesota: they have no passing game, a weak run defense, and a very hard schedule coming up. This Detroit game was the kick-off to a run that features a primetime contest against the Buffalo Bills, another game against the Packers on the road, and then a game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Is a quarterback change coming for them, again? It's hard to say. They've only got Carson Wentz off their bench, but that might be a better option than Kyler Murray at this point. All they've got is their defense at the moment, which is enough to get over the hump against non-elite offenses, but maybe not against a team like the Lions, Bills, or 49ers.
3. Green Bay Packers (5-3, 1-2 against the NFC North)
The Packers land 3rd here despite, again, a winning record. They managed to completely dominate the Carolina Panthers in primetime this past week, ending up as the final straw for Panthers decision makers in relation to their defensive coordinator, Ejiro Evero.
Still, you have to wonder about their viability on offense if their offensive line doesn't get some major reinforcements soon, and the kind of impact Micah Parsons will actually have on their defense after returning from a major knee injury. However, they seem to be hitting a groove with Jordan Love hitting Toyotathon territory.
Green Bay's injuries are currently playing a huge part in their projected finish to this season. If they can both hit the right notes at the trade deadline (unlikely, given the capital they relinquished for Parsons), and get back some key reinforcements on defense and on their O-line, they could be a tough out.
READ MORE: Dominant Lions ground game paves way to victory over Vikings
2. Chicago Bears (5-2, 0-2 against NFC North)
Chicago is great, and got even better by trading for defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons ahead of the deadline. He adds firepower to a defensive line that's been markedly improved from 2025, however, there are still some concerns worth mentioning about their secondary. They're still giving up 225.9 passing yards per game, which is just about middle of the pack defensively through eight weeks.
Of course, it's hard to imagine their offense not getting even better this season, with their pass blocking remaining elite (top-5 in the NFL), and Williams getting better. And, of course, the weapons around Williams remain steady - D'Andre Swift, Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland are all helping Williams out, and that chemistry is going to just grow.
The Bears remain the scariest opponent for the Lions so far this season, and they haven't even played one another yet. Thanksgiving is likely to provide a real barometer for where the Lions are at within the division, and as contenders within the NFC.
1. Detroit Lions (5-2, 2-0 against NFC North)
The Lions remain the only team that's undefeated against the rest of the division, which is a huge change from 2025. They were beaten badly by the Packers and Vikings last season, which really sunk their chances of making the postseason as a Wild Card. They've already gotten that monkey off their back, twice, with wins over both teams ahead of a key Thanksgiving matchup against Chicago.
Other than their division wins, their three-game winning streak is what's carrying them into 1st place within this week's power ranking. Back-to-back divisional wins are huge, and they both looked quite convincing. The Lions essentially tripped and fell into 19 points against Minnesota, and they still don't seem to have hit their true stride on that side of the ball.
Obviously, defense remains a concern headed towards the trade deadline. So many injuries hit them in Week 8, with the most concerning being to linebacker Jack Campbell. We're still waiting on any positive updates regarding the Lions' captain on defense, and we're hoping to hear some good news soon.
Brian Branch (concussion), D.J. Wonnum (concussion, due to Branch), Jimmy Rolder (hamstring), and D.J. Reed (hip) were also injured throughout the game, and head coach Dan Campbell didn't give a short timeline for any one of those injuries. He did mention he didn't expect them to be very long term, though.
If Detroit can still remain afloat while managing those injuries ahead of Thanksgiving, they will be in an excellent spot to take full control of the division.
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