After being nearly a consensus top-three team following their victory over the Los Angeles Rams, the Detroit Lions are in a bit of a weird spot now. Their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was certainly disheartening, but it’s also a bit hard to digest when trying to figure out who this team is?

On the one hand, their defense looks much improved through two weeks, allowing just 20.0 points per game (t-12th). And while the offense struggled to put points on the board, their 463 yards of offense was second most of any Week 2 team. That’s a sign of some progress, particularly against a Buccaneers defense that figures to be one of the best in the league.

So do you focus on Detroit’s putrid 1-for-7 efficiency in the red zone and Jared Goff’s early sloppy play, or do you take solace in the fact that the Lions were able to move the ball relatively consistently between the 20s and only punted twice all game?

You can see there are some disagreements on how to assess Detroit’s overall level of competency in the Week 3 NFL power rankings. While most analysts opted to keep Detroit in their top-five, others dropped Detroit significantly.

Take a look:

MMQB: 3 (Last week: 2)

From Conor Orr:

I thought the Lions would lose one of their first two games because, for one, they were never going to go undefeated, and, two, seem to me to be the kind of club that needs to take an elbow to the nose before they get to full strength. This was a wake-up call for the defense but was also a notice that they do not own a monopoly on toughness. The Buccaneers came into Detroit with attitude.

The Ringer: 4 (Last week: 2)

From Diante Lee:

When Jared Goff inked his contract extension this summer, the argument for paying him north of $50 million was focused on him playing like a borderline top-10 quarterback since arriving in Detroit. Yet through two weeks this season, some of Goff’s worst tendencies have cropped back up—he’s struggled when throwing into coverage and has been missing key opportunities for big plays. I believe Detroit was the better team in its Week 2 matchup against Tampa Bay, but the offense came up short in the red zone and cost itself points with poor game management. Goff will probably play better in coming weeks, but there’s always a chance he’ll be the player dragging his team down instead of lifting it up.

USA Today: 5 (Last week: 2)

From Nate Davis:

Per ESPN Research, their six red-zone drives without a TD were the club’s most in one game in 43 years. One of those was the failed march at the end of the first half, which Dan Campbell took the blame for and cited as the reason his team lost its playoff rematch with the Bucs.

NFL.com: 5 (Last week: 3)

From Eric Edholm:

Things are not humming the way you’d expect offensively for this group. Yards are one thing; execution is very much another. Jared Goff is off to a slow start to the season, missing too many throws and not connecting on enough chunk plays. The first-throw INT against the Buccaneers sort of set the tone for the game. The Lions moved the ball up and down the field, but the red-zone execution (1 for 7) was awful. Detroit’s defense did its job, especially in the fourth quarter with a chance to steal the game. It’s too early to say things don’t look quite right because the Lions didn’t really start cooking until later in the season in 2023, but with the plucky Cardinals and Seahawks up next on the schedule, they’d better figure out their issues right quick.

Yahoo Sports: 5 (Last week: 3)

From Frank Schwab:

The Lions outgained the Buccaneers 463-216 and somehow lost. It’s not great to lose at home but it’s also not the type of performance that should raise red flags. It’s odd to see Sam LaPorta at just six catches for 58 yards (Jameson Williams is getting a lot of attention early on) in two games but that should be fine too.

The 33rd team: 5 (Last week: 3)

From Marcus Mosher:

This was a bad loss for the Detroit Lions on multiple fronts. Jared Goff really struggled, and the offense only scored 16 points.

Aidan Hutchinson had 4.5 sacks for Detroit, but it still wasn’t enough to beat the Buccaneers in Detroit. The Lions are still the team to beat in the NFC North, but this was a tough early-season home loss.

The Athletic: 6 (Last week: 5)

From Josh Kendall:

Detroit had 463 yards of offense and held Tampa Bay to 216. Aidan Hutchinson had 4 1/2 sacks by himself, the second most of any player in a game since 2021 (behind Khalil Mack’s six last season against the Raiders). Maybe having Jared Goff throw the ball 55 times was the problem. The Lions quarterback had the second-most attempts of any player in a game since 2022, threw two interceptions and finished with a 61.7 passer rating.

Sporting News: 8 (Last week: 3)

From Vinnie Iyer:

The Lions got Aidan Hutchinson and the defense going vs. the Bucs, but Jared Goff, after his new contract, has been shaky to start with a pair of anomalous poor home games. Now, Detroit needs to deal with some key injuries to the receiving corps when health was mostly on their side in 2023.

CBS Sports: 11 (Last week: 4)

From Pete Prisco:

The offense didn’t do enough against Tampa Bay, which is why they are now 1-1. Jared Goff threw for 300 yards, but never looked in sync