The Lions ranked No. 5 in ESPN's NFL Future Power Rankings, released on Monday, Aug. 11, ahead of all NFC teams except for the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions ranked ahead of all their NFC North rivals, with the Green Bay Packers at No. 6, the Minnesota Vikings at No. 11 and the Chicago Bears tied for No. 18.

While so much of the NFL is about the here and now, it's also about the future too. Every year fans are handed a glimmer of hope thanks to the NFL Draft and they believe that their team has found the pieces that will eventually lead to Lombardis in their respective cities.

Lions defensive back Morice Norris is back in Detroit, and that's a definite positive. After the scary head injury Norris suffered in the Lions' preseason game Friday night in Atlanta, it's great to hear that Norris is progressing well.

When Falcons coach Raheem Morris explained the decision to end Friday night's preseason game after Lions safety Morice Norris suffered a potentially serious head/neck injury, Morris said he didn't know whether the league approved of the move.

The Detroit Lions will face the Atlanta Falcons, who will kick off their 2025 preseason at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday.

The first week of the NFL preseason is complete with the Chargers topping the Saints 27-13 and the Bears and Dolphins finishing in a 24-24 tie. L.A. is the first team to improve to 2-0 this preseason,