Detroit Lions DVOA ranking drops following 38-6 loss to Ravens

Heading into Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Detroit Lions were the No. 2 ranked team in the NFL according to the DVOA advances metrics. In fact, prior to losing to the Ravens by a score of 38-6, the Lions had a Top 5 offense and a Top 5 defense. As you can imagine, the Lions have dropped in the rankings following their debacle against the Ravens.

Week 8 DVOA Rankings

As you can see below, the Detroit Lions have dropped to No. 5 overall in the latest DVOA rankings, including dropping to No. 7 offensively and No. 9 defensively. The Ravens have taken the Lions place at No. 2 in the rankings. (Note: These rankings do not account for the 49ers Monday Night Football loss to the Vikings.

Why it Matters

While opinions on the top NFL teams may vary, the DVOA rankings, meticulously compiled by Aaron Schatz, delve into advanced statistics to provide a comprehensive assessment. Consistently, these statistics reveal that the league's premier teams consistently occupy the highest positions, regardless of the specific year under consideration.

What is DVOA?

Here is a breakdown of DVOA:

DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) system breaks down every single NFL play and compares a team's performance to a league-average baseline base on situation and opponent. It is explained further in this article.

Offense and Defense DVOA are adjusted based on strength of opponent (beginning after Week 4) and indoors/outdoors. DVOA considers all fumbles, kept or lost, as equal value. Performance in the fourth quarter of blowouts is downweighted. Special Teams DVOA is adjusted for type of stadium (warm, cold, dome, Denver) and week of season. Non-Adjusted Total VOA does not include these adjustments.

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