Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images A look at the Week 17 power rankings, with the Detroit Lions back on the rise. For this week’s NFL power rankings, the Detroit Lions take their spot back atop NFC teams in just about every one of the rankings we look at every week. After the loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, the Lions dropped as low as four in rankings. But they rebounded this week for a couple of reasons. For one, the Lions looked a lot more like themselves against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The offense was nearly unstoppable, and the defense made some key stops in both halves of the game on the way to a comfortable 34-17 road divisional win. Perhaps more notable, though, was the Philadelphia Eagles’ loss to the Washington Commanders. While one could point to the loss of Jalen Hurts to a concussion as the reason they lost that game, Philly just needed a defensive stop with two minutes left (or Devonta Smith not to drop a game-sealing catch) and they still would’ve walked away with the win. As a result, the Lions’ path to getting the NFC’s top seed is much clearer, and the Eagles’ probability of earning the No. 1 seed has fallen to single digits. And the Lions are back into the top three of every power ranking this week. The Ringer: Lions: 1 (Last week: 3) From Diante Lee: The Lions can still be the NFL’s best team, even if the injuries have forced this defense to take a step back. Quarterback Jared Goff is in arguably the best rhythm we’ve seen in his career, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson apparently trusts Goff enough to ask him if he can fumble on purpose to set up a trick play. (Goff nixed that idea, and they just faked a stumble instead.) Receiver Jameson Williams is finally looking like a game-breaking force again, and, best of all, the Lions made it through the weekend without adding any new players to the injured reserve list. The Lions should be hoping they can wrap up the race for the NFC’s no. 1 seed next week so this team can get its starters some well deserved rest. MMQB: Lions: 2 (Last week: 3) From Conor Orr: One Useful Holiday Gift for Each team, Lions: A titanium leg for Aidan Hutchinson. USA Today: Lions: 2 (Last week: 3) From Nate Davis: The first team in franchise history to win 13 games, they’re trying to pave the NFC pathway to the Super Bowl directly to Ford Field. Plenty of work yet to do on that front, even for a team that’s almost certainly the franchise’s best of the Super Bowl era (since 1966) – the Lions’ 493 points and 7-0 road record are club bests – much as that’s also indicative of their checkered-at-best history over that period. Regardless, give Dan Campbell and Co. credit for continuing to play at a high level no matter how many injuries and other obstacles they must navigate. Detroit is the only team this season with a 1,000-yard rusher with 10 TDs (Jahmyr Gibbs) and a 1,000-yard receiver with 10 TDs (Amon-Ra St. Brown). The Athletic: Lions: 2 (Last week: 3) From Josh Kendall: The Lions’ injured reserve list is ridiculous — Aidan Hutchinson, Alex Anzalone, Marcus Davenport, Carlton Davis III, Alim McNeill, Malcolm Rodriguez and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., and that’s not all of them. David Montgomery remains on the active roster, but he’s a long shot to return because of a knee injury. At least this week, though, it didn’t seem to bother them as they put 475 yards on the hapless Bears. Yahoo Sports: Lions: 3 (Last week: 3) From Frank Schwab: A matchup between two 14-2 teams in the regular-season finale, with the winner getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the loser going on the road wild-card weekend with a 14-3 record, is still in play. Detroit faces the 49ers in Week 17, though that test looks easier with the current state of the 49ers. CBS Sports: Lions: 3 (Last week: 4) From Pete Prisco: The offense showed it can move the football in any type of weather in the blowout of the Bears. The undermanned defense gave up yards, but made stops when needed. Sporting News: Lions: 3 (Last week: 4) From Vinnie Iyer: The Lions smashed their cold-weather narrative with Jared Goff, and their injury-riddled defense also rose to the occasion in Chicago. They flexed again as the NFC’s best team with the Eagles getting grinched. Still to come... NFL.com: Lions: TBD (Last week: 4) From Eric Edholm: