Detroit Lions 2026 Team Rankings and Ratings

86.5PFM Team Score1-0 Record

PFM Badge+1 more

PFM Verdict

Why PFM Ranks the Lions Here

Detroit can still dictate games through Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff and an offensive line built for play action. That identity keeps the Lions at No. 5, and Dan Campbell gives the team a strong weekly floor. The concern is depth: the defense still trails the offense, while line and backfield turnover remove some of the support that made Detroit so hard to wear down.

NFL Rank#5Current PFM ranking

NFC Rank#4Among NFC teams

QB Stability#10Jared Goff · Franchise Locked In

Season OutlookSuper Bowl Contender

Head coachDan Campbell

Offensive coordinatorDrew Petzing

Defensive coordinatorKelvin Sheppard

Offense88.9No. 2

Defense80.3No. 16

Coaching Direction85.7No. 4

Regular-Season Baseline

PFM Trend

Baseline September 8, 2026

Current stateBaseline set

Detroit starts the regular season with a 86.5 PFM Team Score and the No. 5 spot in PFM’s NFL rankings. Movement will appear after the first published weekly ratings update.

PFM Team Score86.5

Score movementStarts here

NFL RankNo. 5

Rank movementStarts here

See Latest NFL Ranking Changes

PFM Team DNA

Detroit Lions Team DNA

View all NFL team rankings

PFM category scores · 0–100 scale

QB Stability85.3No. 10 in NFLStrength

Offense88.9No. 2 in NFLMajor Strength

Explosiveness84.9No. 8 in NFLStrength

Roster Strength84.1No. 3 in NFLStrength

Franchise Direction80.5No. 4 in NFLWatch

Coaching Direction85.7No. 4 in NFLStrength

Defense80.3No. 16 in NFLWatch

Identity

Offense Leads the Way

Detroit wants Jahmyr Gibbs and the line to establish a physical run game before Jared Goff works play action from a clean pocket. Aidan Hutchinson is expected to create the defensive disruption before coverage stress builds.

Pressure Point

Detroit Needs Pressure Beyond Aidan Hutchinson

The defense needs to keep improving. More consistent stops are needed if the Lions want to make a deep run.

Week 1 matchup

AwayNO0-1

HomeDET1-0

Pick the winner.

FINAL RESULTDetroit LionsThis Call is settled.

PFM's CallDetroit Lions

Final ResultDetroit Lions

PFM ROAD AHEAD

2026 Detroit Lions Remaining Strength of Schedule

Detroit has one of the league’s more favorable remaining roads at No. 27, with opponents averaging 78.4. New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears still give the schedule a real test, but 2 games against current top-10 teams keep the full road from looking as heavy as most.

Difficulty Rank#27No. 1 is toughest

Remaining Opponent Avg.78.4Average across opponents

Next 3 Avg.77.1Upcoming opponents

Top-10 Matchups2Games vs. current top 10

Away games left8

Top-10 road opponents1

Week 2

at Buffalo Bills85.7 PFM · #7

Sep 17 · 8:15 pm

AwayTop 10

Week 3

vs. New York Jets73.4 PFM · #25

Sep 27 · 1:00 pm

HomeBottom 10

Week 4

at Carolina Panthers72.1 PFM · #30

Oct 4 · 8:20 pm

AwayBottom 10

Toughest remaining opponent: Buffalo Bills at 85.7 PFM.

See all 32 NFL strength of schedule rankings View the Week 1 NFL schedule View Detroit Lions’ full schedule breakdown

Around the League

League Context

Closest Team DNA Match

Built Like Chicago Bears

Chicago BearsMatch distance: 2.67 rating points

Shared profile: Defense and QB Stability.

Detroit uses coverage and the defensive front to make the quarterback hold the ball for the rush; Chicago gets coverage time for the rush from coverage and the defensive front. The closest football connection comes from two important parts of the roster, with each team reaching it through its own personnel. Detroit separates in Roster Strength through broader support across the full lineup rather than one isolated star.

Where they separate: Roster Strength. Lions hold the stronger current rating.

View Bears dashboard Compare the teams

Division Pressure

NFC North

Green Bay is Detroit's strongest NFC North challenger, with Chicago still trying to join the top two. The Lions stay ahead when their offensive line controls the box; if that transition slips, Micah Parsons gives the Packers the matchup capable of changing the order.

Detroit Lions86.5