Heading into Week 15, the Detroit Lions maintain their grip on the No. 1 spot in the NFL power rankings, with little change among the top teams in recent weeks.
Last Thursday, the Lions improved to 12-1, extending their franchise-record 11-game win streak with a thrilling 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. The game was decided by Jake Bates’ 35-yard walk-off field goal, a fitting end to a pivotal win.
Getting Bates into position for the kick was a product of a bold, calculated decision by Lions head coach Dan Campbell. With 43 seconds remaining and the Lions facing 4th-and-1 on the Packers’ 21-yard line, Campbell opted to go for the first down rather than attempt a slightly longer field goal. The successful conversion allowed Detroit to drain the clock and set up Bates for the game-winning kick.
While Campbell’s aggressive 4th-down decisions have drawn criticism from some NFL experts, they haven’t shaken the Lions’ standing as the league’s best team in this week’s rankings.
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