Detroit Lions Power Rankings - 2007

Season:

Power Rankings
WEEK	RECORD	RANK	COMMENT
Week 18	7-9	24	To mangle a quote from that noted football genuis Charles Dickens: "It was the best of seasons [a 6-2 start], it was the worst of seasons [a 1-7 finish]." Any Lions fan out there still have faith in this franchise? (MMc)
Week 17	7-8	21	Imagine if the Lions' tale of two half-seasons were reversed, and that they're about to wrap up a 6-2 mark in the second half. Would Lions fans feel better about their team's future? Maybe. Of course, Matt Millen's still in charge.
Week 16	6-8	22	Damien Woody told the F-P that "a professional football team shouldn't give up 50 points. That's something that happens in college. And we've done it twice." If nothing else, the Lions win this year's award for Biggest Tease After 6-2 Start.
Week 15	6-7	20	After a heartbreaking loss to Dallas, Damien Woody told the Free Press: "The problem with the Lions is that it's acceptable to put up a fight. At the end of the day, it's not acceptable. It's all about wins. I don't care about putting up a fight."
Week 14	6-6	18	A month ago, the Lions' game against the Cowboys looked like a potential playoff preview. Now it just looks like another Lions loss as they continue to unravel after a 6-2 start. Jon Kitna's 10-win guarantee will soon be dead.
Week 13	6-5	14	Reports have surfaced that owner William Clay Ford Sr. wants the coaching staff to increase the workload of rookie WR Calvin Johnson. On the flip side, head coach Rod Marinelli is demanding that Ford build a better-looking SUV.
Week 12	6-4	12	A private research group recently ranked Detroit as the country's most dangerous city. No doubt the statistics were influenced by the lack of protection for QB Jon Kitna, who has been sacked a league-leading 40 times.
Week 11	6-3	10	OK, we all know O-coordinator Mike Martz would rather throw than run. But eight running plays in losing to Arizona? For a minus-18 yards? The second-worst rushing day in franchise history? No wonder so many skeptics remain.
Week 10	6-2	8	It's been 10 years since the Lions scored more than the 44 points they posted in beating the Broncos. But head coach Rod Marinelli thinks there's room to improve. "Offensively, I still believe the best is ahead of us," he told the Free Press.
Week 9	5-2	10	Who wants Matt Millen fired now? For the first time in his tenure, the Lions have started out 5-2. They've swept the Bears and are 3-0 in the division. But they still must face the Packers twice in the final six weeks.
Week 8	4-2	11	The Lions have started 4-2 for the sixth time since the NFL expanded to a 16-game season in 1978. But in just two of the previous five times did the Lions make the playoffs.
Week 7	3-2	15	Jeff Garcia, as noted above, hasn't thrown an interception all season, but perhaps his former team (from 2005) will know how to force him into a miscue. Only Dallas (10) has intercepted more passes this season than Detroit (nine).
Week 6	3-2	18	Take away the fourth-quarter, 34-point explosion against the Bears, and this much-ballyhooed Lions offense has been held out of the end zone in its past 10 quarters. But hey, it can't be Mike Martz's fault. After all, he's an offensive genius.
Week 5	3-1	12	Is head coach Rod Marinelli letting the 3-1 start get to his head? He told the Detroit Free Press that his Lions are on their way to being "an elite team." Might want to play another elite team first -- the Lions' first four opponents are a combined 5-11.
Week 4	2-1	20	Head coach Rod Marinelli said he knew it was "a risk" to keep QB Jon Kitna in the game near the end of the 56-21 loss at Philadelphia. Kitna was sacked four times on the final three possessions. There are smart risks and dumb risks. This was a dumb one.
Week 3	2-0	18	Lions third-string QB Dan Orlovsky, speaking about Jon Kitna, told the Detroit Free Press: 'Indy can have Peyton and New England can have Tom, but we wouldn't trade this guy for anyone in the world.' Uh, Orlovsky won't be a GM anytime soon.
Week 2	1-0	21	There are a lot of offensive weapons in Detroit and in spurts, the Lions should be fun to watch. Rookie WR Calvin Johnson caught a TD pass in his first NFL game.
Week 1	3-13	25	Jon Kitna must be pinching himself. Roy Williams? Calvin Johnson? Any quarterback would love to have that combination, especially a few years from now.
Preseason	3-13	30	Greatest Show on Turf, Part II? With WRs Roy Williams, Mike Furrey and Calvin Johnson, Mike Martz must be having flashbacks to his days in St. Louis.