NFC North Power Rankings after Week 3
By Ryan Heckman
2. Detroit Lions (2-1)
After defeating the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 1, but going on to drop Week 2's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, the Detroit Lions bounced back against an undefeated Atlanta Falcons team. Detroit beat the Falcons handedly, by a score of 20-6.
The story in this game was Detroit's dominant defense. The Lions were able to sack Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder a whopping seven times in this game, unsurprisingly led by Aidan Hutchinson who finished with two of his own. The Falcons also rushed for just 44 yards, total, as the Lions held Bijan Robinson to 33 himself.
Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs got his own show in this one, rushing 17 times for 80 yards while the Lions stayed committed to the ground game, trying to match Atlanta's strength. Jared Goff was solid in Week 3, with 243 yards on 22-of-33 passing, one touchdown and one pick. It wasn't a high-scoring affair, but the Lions got it done and worked their way back from a tough loss a week ago.
In just a few days, the Lions will kick off Week 4 against these Packers on Thursday Night Football.