NFL Power Rankings: Jets fly past Giants

The Lions’ luck is about as good as their home town’s financ🌊es.

Losing Nate Burleson for an extended period due to a broken arm suffered in a car accident early T🐬uesday morning probably isn’t going to be a crushing blow, but the poor timing and slapstick nat💜ure is something the Lions and their fans have come to expect.

Just when it seems the Lions are living up to their promise, one🌊 of their most productive receivers is sidelined by a car accident due to pizza falling from hi🌃s dashboard.

Sounds like the same ol’ Lions, all right.

But maybe not. While Burleson has been a valuable contributor to Detroit’s s🦩urprising 2-1 start, the Lions look like a sturdy team that can withstand an obstacle or two, even self-inflicted ones like Ndamukong Suh’s ongoing bid to have the NFL’s Dirtiest Player award nam🍷ed after him.

Detroit jumps eight spots to No. 16 in The Post’s NFL Power Rankings — one spot ahead of the Jets, MetLife Stadium’s highest-ranking home team by 13 spots (keep scrolling, Giants trackers) — who going into this week’s important NFC North visit from the unbeaten Bears. The Lions’ gut-check 27-20 win at Washington offered further proof Matthew Stafford and Co. can’t be ignored this season.

Stafford is off to a terrific start, more than living up to♉ the $53 million extension Detroit gave him in the offseason by completing 65 percent of his passes for an average of 340 yards per game while throwing six touchdowns against just two interceptions.

It isn’t just𓄧 the Calvin Johnson Show, either. Megatron has 17 catches for 268 yards and three TDs, which are pedestrian numbers for the league’s most feared receiver. No, the Lions are already halfway to matching their 2012 win total because they’re spreading ⭕the ball around in the passing game around and the defense has produced seven turnovers in three games.

That꧙’s not to say Detroit is without warning signs. The running game has been non-existent (though Reggie Bush’s expected return this week should boost that), Burleson led the team in catches and the defense gives up yards in bunches.

So it could still all fall apart, of course. These are the Lions, remember. But for now, the North has a third c💦ontender behind Chicago and Green Bay.

(Last week’s rank in parentheses)

1. Broncos (1): Peyton Manning’s three-game statistical line — 73 percent completion rate, 12 TDs, 0 interceptions — looks like a misprint.


2. Seahawks (2): Too bad Seattle moved to the NFC from the AFC West, beca♐use two matchups with Manning’s Broncos this season would have been epic.

3. Patriots (6): They’re 3-0, but it’s a shaky 3-0. Trips to Atlanta and ♓Cincinnati the next two weeks will tell us more.

4. Bears (7): Marc Trestman’s offense is getting the attention, but the defense has forced 11 turnovers in three games🦋.

5. Saints (8): Too bad the NFL doesn’t choose ꦡa Comeback Coach of the Year, because defensive coordinator Rob Ryan would be the runaway faℱvorite.

6. Bengals (9): Comeback win over the Packers was ugly, but still should do wond꧒ers for their confidence.

7. Dolphins (10): It’s time to start including Ryan Tannehill on the list of the NFL’s top young quarterbacks. He — and his team — are legit.

8. Colts (11): After a big week with the 𝓰trade for Trent Richardson and an impressive win in San Francisco, now they get the woeful Jaguars. Let the good times keep rolling.

9. Packers (3): About that decision to bring back Dom Capers as defensive coordinator …

10. Chiefs (12): Afterꦜ Justin Houston rang up 4 1/2 sacks against the Eagles, Derri♐ck Thomas’ single-game sack record could be in jeopardy against the the Giants’ awful offensive line this Sunday.

11. Ravens (19): They’re better than anyone expected in light of their cap woes, but four of the next five are on the road. Crunch time come♛s early for Baltimore.

12. 49ers (4): The Aldon Smith controversy shouldn’t overshadow the fact they have scored juཧst 10 points combined in their past two games. What happened to Colin Kaepernick?

13. Texans (5): Not 🌠exactly living down their reputation as a team that feasts on bad teams and can’t win big games.

14. Titans (14):🐈 How much better will they be if Chris ♓Johnson (3.7 yards per carry) ever breaks out?

15. Cowboys (15): In the land of the blin🔜d (the awful NFC East), one-eyed Dallas could very well end up kings.

16. Lions (24): No running game? No problem!

17. Jets (26): Penalties or not, Rex’s defen🧸se is going to keep this team in every game.

18. Chargers (16): Still lacking the killer 👍instinct. Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.

19. Falcons (13): The d💫efense was already a big problem, and now Steven Jackson might have to sit through Week 7. It could get ugly fast in Atlanta.

20. Eagles (17): Pe🐷yton Manning vs. the Eagles’ horrible secondary should be rated NC-17, maybe even X.

21. Rams (18): Sam Bradford’s career♎ passer rating is rapidly descending to Mark Sanchez levels. It’s about time St. Louis’ “franchise” QB feels some heat.

22. Panthers (30): The 38-0 rout of the Giants just showed Carolina should be a lot better than its record𝕴.

23. Cardinals (23): Carson Palmer has a lot of weapons and isn’t doing muc𒁏h with them.

24. Buccaneers (20): It’s getting 🐲out of hand fast in Tampa, where both Josh Freeman an✨d Greg Schiano appear to be running out of time.

25. Bills (25): 🎃How do you lose a ga♎me where your opponent commits 20 penalties?

26. Redskins (21):✃ Hey, at least RG3 made it back for Week 1! There’s a trophy for that, right?

27. Browns (31): Josh Gordon provided so much spark in a surprise road win over the Vikings th𝓡at Cleveland’s new management team can’t wait to t🥀rade him.

28. Vikings (27): Adrian Peterson’s little daughter was right: How did they lose at home to the Bro🃏wnওs?

29. Steelers (28): Terrible team with an even worse salary-✨cap situation. Well, there’s always the baseball playoffs a💮nd hockey season, Pittsburgh.

30. Giants (22): Make no mistake: This team is every bit as awful as its record. The Giants can’t block, they can’t run and they can’t rush the passer.

31. Raiders (29): After beating Jacksonville in Week 2, Monday night’s massacre in Denver showed what happens wꦜhen Oakland plays actual NFL competition.

32. Jaguars (32): Eight consecutive 🍸losses by at least seven points.